My uncle was a typesetter.
Leather trousers even in his fifties.
Ears that stood out from his head.
He lost his job. The machine did what he did, faster and cheaper.
He opened a discotheque called Three Hearts in the center of Karlshamn.
My sister-in-law was a proofreader at Hemmets Journal.
Small and cute.
Computers replaced her and she was let go.
When a new technology arrives you can laugh, rebel, deny or adapt.
My uncle pouring drinks at Three Hearts.
My sister-in-law sitting by the kitchen table, quiet.
I once worked for a company that was merging with a top competitor. Upper management made our entire staff read that book. No one from the other company did. Within a few months, most of the people who had been tasked with the reading assignment were laid off.
Fast-forward another year, and management was scrambling to re-hire everyone they’d laid off because the business tanked. Not sure that book had anything to do with their poor decisions. But I do know that management team went on to tank a couple other companies after that.
I’ll add that I think the principle of being flexible and willing to learn new skills is a good one. Adaptability and curiosity will take a person far and give them more tools and options.
In any case, laugh first. And keep laughing. Skip denying. Rebel or adapt. Or rebel and adapt. (I’d say your uncle did both.) The rebel-step is so underrated.
Adapting is both scary and easy. It’s unbelievable what humans are able to adapt to (or rather roll with). Even when they shouldn’t. I know this goes a bit against the intention of your wonderful post.