Gen Xers and boomers discuss the pros and cons of life before cell phones

The answers are a mixed bag.

Isn't it wild that we're living in a time where a big chunk of the population knows what it's like to live in a world without cell phones and a big chunk don't and never will? Gen X was the last generation to have a fully cell-phone-free upbringing, and considering how much our modern phones have influenced life on Earth, that difference is significant.

It's wild to think that young people today have no concept of what life was like without cell phones being the norm. People with kids often share stories of trying to explain how we navigated without Google Maps or how we let someone know we were running late or what we did when we were standing in a long line. It's a whole new world, for better or for worse.

107-year-old WWII veteran gets his diploma 93 years after dropping out of high school

"It's a wonderful thing to graduate."

Orville Von Ehwegen is proving that it's never too late to give up on your dreams. At 107 years old, he finally received his honorary high school diploma from East Sac County High School in Lake View, Iowa. He was honored during the high school's graduation ceremony on Sunday, May 18.

Von Ehwegen, a veteran of World War II, received his diploma 93 years after he was forced to drop out of school in 8th grade to help his dad on their family farm during the Great Depression.

How My Father’s Garage and a Chevy Vega Helped Save My Life

"I know his retribution will be swift and terrible, but no Christmas gift could be greater than this."

As a teenager in the 1970s I struggled with substance abuse. A bad LSD experience put me in the hospital with broken bones and a shattered spirit. My father never gave up on me. "You could use some success," he said to me one day. "How about we rebuild the engine in your car?"

It was a 1973 Chevy Vega GT that burned a quart of oil with every tank of gas. Dad had been a Navy airplane mechanic during the Korean war, and spent his career as a mechanical engineer for John Deere. After my bones had healed we took the Vega apart in Dad's garage, then put the pieces back together again. I drove the car to college a few weeks later, and thanks to the lessons learned I was able to keep it running all the way through graduation.

Twenty-plus years later I was gainfully employed, married, with two children. Mom and Dad often came to visit. One morning as I was leaving for work, Dad said to me, "You're doing good, Richard. Keep doing what you're doing." His affirmation nearly surpassed the gift of kindness he'd made decades earlier. Actions may speak louder than words, but the power of words should not be underestimated.

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'Untapped potential' psychologist shares the skill that opens the door to success and happiness

It's the difference between helplessness and hopefulness.

Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman, an adjunct associate professor of psychology at Columbia University’s Barnard College, makes a powerful point in his new book, Rise Above. He believes that the difference between those who are happy and prosperous and those who are not is that one group has managed to “unlearn fear.”

The problem for most people is that learning and unlearning fear are two very separate processes. Learning to be afraid happens automatically in our brains after we have a traumatic or frightening experience. That’s why when we encounter something we are fearful of, we have an emotional and mental response that can be difficult to overcome.