Imagine stepping out of prison after 30 years and realizing the world has transformed in ways you never imagined. That’s exactly what happened to Gordon Cordeiro, a 51-year-old from Hawaii who was just exonerated after spending three decades behind bars for a crime he didn’t commit.
Cordeiro was wrongfully convicted in 1994 for a murder tied to a drug deal gone wrong. But after fighting for justice for years, DNA evidence finally cleared his name, and he walked free last Friday.
Naturally, his first move was to celebrate his newfound freedom. He treated himself to a steak dinner, a far cry from prison food. But the biggest shock didn’t come from the meal—it came from society itself.
“Everybody is looking at their PHONE.”
Back in 1994, smartphones weren’t a thing—the closest he got to instant communication was a beeper. Now, everywhere he turns, people are glued to screens.
“It keeps beeping,” he said, referring to his own newly acquired cell phone. Welcome to 2025, Gordon.
For those of us who’ve adapted to this hyper-connected world, it’s easy to forget how much things have changed. But for someone stepping out of a time capsule, it’s like landing on another planet.
What would YOU miss most if you had to live in 1994 again?
