21 years ago it was all you could do to keep me alive. I devoured your time, precious little bar a gurgle and brief smile in return; a flashing glimpse of the dynamic force I would become.
You fed me code, patched my wounds and watched me crawl, and boy did I crawl.
No faster than a slug in glue but still you persevered, knowing one day I would be up on my feet causing headaches for oldies as they sat sipping tea, reading newspapers and hardback books.
As a child I was everyone’s darling.
I was the future, the bright kid who would change the world. Everyone wanted to be part of it; the world invested in me.
But a darkness developed deep in my soul. Powerful unnatural urges bubbled under the surface, popping up briefly to be walloped, thankfully, down into the fires of hell.
Cleansed of the worst yet my rebelliousness persisted, dismissing each and every rule and social norm as a product of bygone era.
I could say what I liked.
I would take what I wanted, giving nothing in return.
I cowered behind my friends, hiding my face with a scarf and hood.
I shied away from social intercourse, preferring instead the solitude and comfort of my room, writing poisoned letters spitting bile at anyone I suspected of standing in my way.
I cared little for those I upset, for I was the young noble warrior riding a righteous path to battle; to correct injustice and slay the dragons of oppressive tyranny.
Yet I never signed by name, for deep down I knew. I knew I had to live to fight for a lifetime and beyond.
Though these years just behind me I cringe at my naivety, my teenage ideals. A decade shredding the rule book I now find myself piecing it together, re-establishing many of the principles taught by my parents.
Not that I can bring myself to admit this to them: Mum, Dad, you were right. Well mostly, for the newly reconstructed order isn’t quite a facsimile of the old institutions.
I’ve been a catalyst for obsolescence and a facilitator of innovation; a massive disruptive force connecting billions to each other and to a universe of knowledge; challenging, and, for the most part, improving global society.
And I’m only 21, or thereabouts.