Lead Pipes & Screen Time

No one thing destroyed the Roman Empire. Not marauding hordes of Goths and Visigoths. Not corruption, civil war, or overpopulation. Not disease or famine. Probably not lead poisoning either.

​But all that lead sure didn't help. Those ancient Romans loved the magical, malleable metal. They used lead pipes to channel spring water into their homes. They cooked food in lead pots, drank wine from lead flasks and even used lead to sweeten their toothpaste.  The wealthier the Roman child, the more neurotoxin they consumed, poisoning their vulnerable brains.

​The Romans didn't know what kind of damage their technology was causing. They lacked the science to understand, and lead made life so much easier. Sound familiar?

​Look around at kids today. At the way they barnacle themselves to Smartphones, iPads, Gameboys and X-boxes. At their overdeveloped thumb muscles, addiction to video stimuli, and aversion to downtime without technology. What does this kind of 24-7 screen dependence do to a developing mind?  What will future generations say about what caused the collapse of our once flourishing civilization?

​Yikes. Just thinking about it makes me want to drink some wine. Laced with lead.