Don't get me wrong, I am a lazy woman at heart so I really enjoy all these modern conveniences. But I must admit that I am often overwhelmed by how much content is out there, and sometimes missing the old school social sites like McDonald's or the local supermarket.
The trigger for this melancholy moroseness? Facebook. I recently created a Facebook page against my will because my aunt went to Ireland and I wanted to see her pics. Her answer? Find me on Facebook. Which I still haven't done! I did the bare minimum to get a page so I could search for friends and family, searched for them, couldn't find most of them, and only check it about once a week. Needless to say, I was astonished at how much time these grown, working adults with families spend on this social site. Farming, empire building, and why do I keep getting requests for their lost farm animals??? Who has time to sit on their computer and do all the things I see on here?
I'm not a domestic goddess or anything, and I still don't have time to play on my computer. In fact, I have to put off some household chore like laundry or something to get the thirty minutes every few days I do.
What happened to running into a friend at the grocery store on Saturday and chatting it up in the produce section? Or having a couple over for a fun Friday night dinner and board games while the kiddos run around upstairs possibly destroying themselves and your property? I can tell you why these things don't happen anymore - they are all at home playing Farmville!
I used to promise myself when I was a teenager that I would be one of those cooler adults who knew about the latest bands, fads, and new technology. And then I got to be an adult. Well, I'm a big liar! I can't stand most of the new bands that are out, but I do recognize their songs because they've all been done before! And the fads?? Since I was a child of the eighties I most definitely get the fads, and no, they don't look good on women my age (see my earlier post). Technology??? Most definitely not! Oh I love the new cell phones and can tell you all about them. TVs and some computer stuff, but websites? Social sites? Twittering and all that?? Are you serious?? Okay, that's a lot of question marks.
Does anyone remember why we stopped sending telegrams? Because they invented the telephone. And now with texting and Twittering, we've gone right back to telegrams. Instant ones to be sure, but still, it lacks that depth of connection you get when you hear another person's voice on the other end. This may explain why kids today have no social graces. Because you don't have to play nice online, you can just go find another guild, Facebook friend, etc. And don't get me started on those people who have like 600 friends. Baloney!!
We are dumbing down as a society because the only way we ever progressed in the first place was by meeting new people, learning about new cultures, and trying to be better for each other. With a faceless, heartless computer screen conducting my relationships, what consequences do I face when I am rude, hateful, or selfish?
Be careful of your friend technology! Remember, the aliens always start out friendly in the movies just before they suck out your brain!!
Showing posts with label technology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label technology. Show all posts
Monday, April 12, 2010
Friday, October 16, 2009
When Did "Average" Change to "Bad"
What I mean is, not so long ago being average was fine. As long as you worked hard, paid your bills, provided for your family everyone who knew you would have said you were a good person. And that was enough for us. Just knowing we fulfilled our obligations, raised decent children, and didn't hurt anyone else satisfied us. Not so any more.
Now we all desire to be someone. What does that even mean? Are we not anyone now just because we aren't being followed by paparazzi or asked to dine at the White House? When did we start to think that being average, being normal was not okay? And why in the world are we teaching are kids the same thing?
Look around you at the evidence. Facebook, Twitter, blogs (yes, I get the irony) - they all point to us being desperate to be heard, to be recognized as more than average. I mean, be honest. Are you pouring your heart out on the Internet because you really do have 673 friends who care about your welfare? Or are you secretly hoping you'll be the next Internet sensation? We are all making noise, trying to be the loudest so that someone we don't even know can elevate us to a higher level. Then we have the audacity to wonder why we are so unsatisfied all the time. Seriously?!?
Let me let you in on a little secret: there isn't room at the top for everyone...AND THAT'S OKAY! Do you know why being average is okay? Sure, Thomas Edison invented the light bulb. But do you think he could have done that without average people around? Who was fixing his meals while he experimented? An average cook. Who helped him take notes and kept his office organized? His average secretary. Don't you realize that the only reason Henry Ford was able to produce the Model T or Shakespeare could write Hamlet or Alexander the Great could conquer the world is because they were all standing on the shoulders of average people? Average workers at the Ford factory, average actors on the stage, and average soldiers in the field are the ones who propelled their leaders to greatness. And during those times, that knowledge was enough for them.
I'll tell you what we've lost that we should be desperate to get back is the knowledge that we are all part of a greater something. I'm not even talking religion. I'm talking about just humankind itself. For example, all Americans need to realize that we are all part of a great country; that we have unlimited potential, but someone has to be the workhorse. Someone has to give up the glory to grind the wheat to make bread. But we are all too busy trying to go our own direction. Do you know what happens when everyone tries to go in their own direction. NOTHING!
Need a bigger picture? How about human decency? When we realize that we are all a part of something bigger, we won't need laws for road rage or driving while on the phone. Consideration is a natural extension of realizing it's not all about you. So you're the third in line at the red light, so what? No reason to rev your engine or cuss me out. The world won't end - and you'll be fine with that.
I get that I am publishing this in a blog that I hope lots of people read. I'm not against technology. But I think only communicating through machines is causing us to lose our humanity one text at a time. And that's a very dangerous road to travel. That is why I am going to take a detour and write a thank you note, on paper with pen, and send it through the post office to a person who really made my day special. No abbreviations, no shorthand. Just a quick, handwritten note to let them know I noticed them, and I am grateful.
With technology replacing our humanity, who knew that eventually Mr. Frost's "road less traveled" would be just an "average" road for "average" people?
Now we all desire to be someone. What does that even mean? Are we not anyone now just because we aren't being followed by paparazzi or asked to dine at the White House? When did we start to think that being average, being normal was not okay? And why in the world are we teaching are kids the same thing?
Look around you at the evidence. Facebook, Twitter, blogs (yes, I get the irony) - they all point to us being desperate to be heard, to be recognized as more than average. I mean, be honest. Are you pouring your heart out on the Internet because you really do have 673 friends who care about your welfare? Or are you secretly hoping you'll be the next Internet sensation? We are all making noise, trying to be the loudest so that someone we don't even know can elevate us to a higher level. Then we have the audacity to wonder why we are so unsatisfied all the time. Seriously?!?
Let me let you in on a little secret: there isn't room at the top for everyone...AND THAT'S OKAY! Do you know why being average is okay? Sure, Thomas Edison invented the light bulb. But do you think he could have done that without average people around? Who was fixing his meals while he experimented? An average cook. Who helped him take notes and kept his office organized? His average secretary. Don't you realize that the only reason Henry Ford was able to produce the Model T or Shakespeare could write Hamlet or Alexander the Great could conquer the world is because they were all standing on the shoulders of average people? Average workers at the Ford factory, average actors on the stage, and average soldiers in the field are the ones who propelled their leaders to greatness. And during those times, that knowledge was enough for them.
I'll tell you what we've lost that we should be desperate to get back is the knowledge that we are all part of a greater something. I'm not even talking religion. I'm talking about just humankind itself. For example, all Americans need to realize that we are all part of a great country; that we have unlimited potential, but someone has to be the workhorse. Someone has to give up the glory to grind the wheat to make bread. But we are all too busy trying to go our own direction. Do you know what happens when everyone tries to go in their own direction. NOTHING!
Need a bigger picture? How about human decency? When we realize that we are all a part of something bigger, we won't need laws for road rage or driving while on the phone. Consideration is a natural extension of realizing it's not all about you. So you're the third in line at the red light, so what? No reason to rev your engine or cuss me out. The world won't end - and you'll be fine with that.
I get that I am publishing this in a blog that I hope lots of people read. I'm not against technology. But I think only communicating through machines is causing us to lose our humanity one text at a time. And that's a very dangerous road to travel. That is why I am going to take a detour and write a thank you note, on paper with pen, and send it through the post office to a person who really made my day special. No abbreviations, no shorthand. Just a quick, handwritten note to let them know I noticed them, and I am grateful.
With technology replacing our humanity, who knew that eventually Mr. Frost's "road less traveled" would be just an "average" road for "average" people?
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