Why has society allowed itself to abide by this? 

By Carmen Gomez 

I went through my childhood like all my contemporaries with pencil in hand, and being the proud owner of a sharpener. Later I was gifted with a pen by my parents, and then sadly, I went on to using a biro. I say sadly, because my calligraphy definitely deteriorated at this point. Curiously, we recently offered one of our pens to a young person who found themselves at odds as to how to hold it, or even use it.      

In my later years, I became the proud owner of a handsome Brother typewriter. On it, I typed my first script and others which followed; including my first book, a children’s story, published under the title ` The Happy Musician.` During this time I managed my information gathering via a fax machine, which I must admit aroused great wonderment in our dear father. With this I was able to reach far and wide, including Brazil, and put together all the necessary material needed during my five year research into the life of Carmen Miranda. I then wrote a script which I later transferred onto the stage as a mini musical at the Jermyn Street theatre; home to show casing productions which might later become a reality on a London stage. At the same time, with my small cassette recorder, I would hum tunes onto it as I picked on chords on the guitar; bringing to life lyrics for songs to be included in the show. I felt a sense of quiet achievement during all this time. I felt I had a grip on things.  

Then a well-meaning friend gifted me with a computer. A great big unattractive object which I never really warmed up to, but which in 1993 allowed me greater access into a much wider network. Having said this, when I first came across that simply lettering of `ww.com,` I had a strange sense of foreboding. I recall glancing with nostalgia at our Everyman`s Encyclopaedia which sat handsomely on the shelf; an encyclopaedia which at great pains our parents had bought us in order to enrich our knowledge of the world and its history. I realised that a way of life was slowly disappearing before my eyes. The world stopped writing in long hand, naturally because writing letters was becoming a thing of the past. This in turn robbed us of the joy of receiving mail through the post.  Those special Christmas cards became obsolete; all were replaced by `Emails.` the worst thing was, a growing feeling of no longer having a grip on things; of no longer being totally in charge.   

But one got on with life, and we confidently fought our battles both personal, and in the work place. We faced our responsibilities to the best of our abilities, and did our best, despite the growing concern of the rapidly evolving new technology which perhaps was running away from us at such a speed, that we were no longer able, or perhaps even willing to keep up with anymore. We looked to the future with certain unease, aware that slowly but surely, we were being pushed further and further out of our comfort zone.  

Then one day, five letters which brought tragedy in its wake, forming the word `Covid,` erupted into our lives. We became prisoners in our homes and our streets became deserted, converting our Rock into a ghost town; the same as many of us will remember happened to La Linea after the dictator Franco`s closure of the Spanish frontier gates in 1969. Our freedoms were much reduced, particularly those of us who were pensioners. This was hard to handle, because many of us in that bracket felt very capable of being able to help, and wanted to lend a hand in those very difficult days. Our Government as it turns out, looked after us admirably; but here`s the thing. What we were not aware of at the time, was that another not deadly but sinister happening, was taking place behind closed doors. It was as if governments, ours included, had been waiting to bring about a change in our lives, which had not been previously possible without attracting too much opposition, but which the Covid pandemic had suddenly presented them with.  

After this extraordinary atmosphere of fear of the unknown appeared to be easing, we realised that a new way of doing things was slowly evolving. The changes that had come about during this stark period in time which to us appeared to be temporary, with time became permanent. Government counters that had always been there to aid the public in their payment of bills, or of giving assistance to queries on matters crucial to them in everyday living, was no longer available. People were being told to pay online, or register online etc. Temporary offices which were set up to explain to those many individuals who found themselves unable to cope with this new way of doing things, were not entirely successful, only because for some, it was a lot to take in and it went over their heads. The older generation were taken totally by surprise and in the midst of their stupor were advised to seek help from their grandchildren, nieces and nephews. Without much ado and no prior warning, we were forced to relinquish our freedoms of doing things for ourselves, and instead made to become dependent on relatives or friends. Everyone was in on the act, including Banks and the Post Office. “No more bank statements, go online,” was the dismissive order. “We don’t fill in the paperwork anymore for you to send a parcel,” said a voice across a piece of glass, where a post office worker sat, “down there are a couple of computers for you to do it yourself.  We may be able to help explain the procedure to you but only when we are not busy.”   

So we sat before the computers, becoming more agitated as time went by, in the knowledge that there was a long queue of people waiting behind you to finish, which was only adding to the mounting anxiety. Having failed miserably, we then went home to try and do the paperwork on the home computer, only to find that however much effort we put behind this, the results were not forthcoming. We could not understand why, a service which we had been used to for years, was no longer being offered. We tried explaining that we were not savvy in such matters and that it was beyond our control, but they appeared not to understand or care. You were left feeling like an absolute moron, totally deflated, and knowing that the monthly parcels you wanted to send your three-year old great niece who was suffering from leukaemia in the UK and this was the only joy you could brighten up her life with, was no longer possible. Here, if truth be told, we eventually came across a very caring young man who understood our position and decided to help us, but I don’t honestly know if this made his position difficult in the work place.   

Keeping a bank account online, in the knowledge that at the stroke of a key, as has happened on previous occasions that your screen vanishes from sight never to be seen again, is a daunting thought; quite apart from the scammers out there who at a moment’s notice can do much the same. Bank statements too are in peril of disappearing any day now, so we can’t keep tabs on our humble finances. To add to our discontent and frustration, most recently, various friends informed of the nightmare scenarios they had faced after having planned a holiday abroad with every precision and care, only to find themselves abandoned by their airline, having to change their plans at the last minute without anyone helping much in this area, being informed that their names were not on the list of passengers; you name it, they faced it! But much worse than that, they were duly informed that they could not travel in future carrying any travel documents with them, as everything is now done on the iPhone. Faced with this impossible task for many, we are left with the sad reality of not being able to travel anymore either by air or sea, which is also, I’m told, affected by the same rules. Apart from this, what happens if your phone is purloined?  

So here we are, in the autumn of our years; a noble generation who have taken on life with the world’s confidence on our shoulders, solving insurmountable problems amidst the most difficult of circumstances and not allowing ourselves to be fazed by any imposition; we now find ourselves discarded in a quagmire and fast becoming inadequate bumbling fools, unable of creating a decent stress free existence for ourselves, in an age where it’s clear that our humanity is under constant attack from so many sides. Our disenchantment grows with every minute, as we stumble forward under a reign of overweening reason and none caring for the old values. Why has society allowed itself to abide by this?             

Carmen Gomez is a former Mayor of Gibraltar. She returned to the Rock after a 35-year career as an actress and singer on UK TV and stage. She also hosted two chat shows on GBC and wrote a column for Panorama. She has also written books and plays.