There’s an old saying, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” Now, I don’t know about dogs, but when it comes to us humans, especially us older folks, it seems we’re not too keen on learning new tricks either, especially when those tricks involve fancy gadgets and interwebs.

Picture this: You’ve spent half a century getting pretty good at life. You know how to mail a letter, make a phone call, even work a VCR. And then, just when you’re feeling pretty comfortable, they throw a smartphone at you. It’s like you’ve been thrown in a foreign country, where everyone speaks in abbreviations and emojis, and you can’t even ask for directions without accidentally posting a selfie on some app called “Insta-whatzit.”

Every time some kid comes up with a new gizmo or a doodad, they say it’s gonna change the world. But when you squint at it (because, let’s face it, your eyes aren’t what they used to be), it just looks like a shinier version of the same old thing. And they always give it some name that sounds like it was invented by a caffeine-fueled marketing team: “Snap-this” or “Tweet-that.”

“Hey, buddy,” I want to tell them, “your ‘revolutionary new platform’ is just a glorified chat room. I was doing that back when you were still in diapers.”

But here’s the kicker: If you don’t jump on their tech bandwagon, you’re labeled a dinosaur, a relic of a bygone era. Suddenly, you’re judged not by what you know, but by what you don’t. You’ve got decades of wisdom, but because you don’t know how to ‘swipe right’ or ‘retweet,’ you’re treated like you’ve been living under a rock.

You can’t win, you see. If you try to learn the new stuff, you feel like a fish riding a bicycle – it just doesn’t fit. But if you stick to what you know, you’re a fossil, a museum exhibit of “Life Before Wi-Fi.”

It’s a strange world, this digital age. They say it’s all about connection, but sometimes it feels like we’re more disconnected than ever. We’re all so busy staring at screens, swiping and tapping, that we forget to look up and actually see each other.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not against progress or innovation. I appreciate the convenience of ordering a pizza with a few taps or finding my way without unfolding a map the size of a tablecloth. But I also think there’s something to be said for slowing down, for not always chasing the next shiny thing.

Say you’re a seasoned professional. You’ve been in the game so long you remember when ‘windows’ were just things you looked out of, and ‘apples’ were things you ate. Now, suddenly, those words have entirely different meanings. The lingo has changed, but the game’s the same. It’s about meeting high standards, and we can do that. We’ve done it before, and we’ll do it again.

Let’s face it, the world’s not going to stop spinning just because we prefer flip phones to smartphones or typewriters to tablets. No, sir! We can’t just put our heads in the sand and hope it all goes away. We’re not ostriches, after all, even though some of us may resemble them on a bad hair day.

So, what’s the solution? Well, it’s pretty simple, really. We need to shake off the dust and get to know this brave new world. We need to familiarize ourselves with the latest technological expectations, the apps, the gadgets, the doodads.

No, it’s not going to be easy, but whoever said life was easy? If it were, we’d all be sitting on a beach somewhere, sipping margaritas and catching up on our favorite paperback novels. But instead, we’re here, trying to figure out how to update our smartphone software without accidentally deleting everything.

And let’s be honest, it’s not really that difficult. It’s like getting a haircut or changing the oil in your car. You don’t need to do it every day, just every once in a while to make sure you’re not left behind.

So, you say you’re not tech-savvy? Well, guess what, neither was Edison when he was tinkering around trying to create the light bulb. The trick is to not be afraid of looking a little foolish. We’ve all been there. Remember when you first learned to ride a bike? Or tie your shoes? You probably looked a little foolish then, too. But you learned, and you got better.

In fact, I’d say it’s kind of exciting, being on the cusp of a new adventure. Who knows, maybe you’ll find that you have a knack for it. Maybe you’ll be the next big tech guru, inventing something that will make all our lives easier.

So let’s not shy away from this challenge. Let’s go at it head-on, just as we’ve faced every challenge that’s come our way. After all, we’re more than just technologists. We’re pioneers, adventurers, learners. And we won’t let a little thing like a smartphone or a social media app keep us from reaching our full potential. Let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work. The future awaits, and it doesn’t care how old we are. It’s time we showed the future what we’re capable of.