It’s hard to believe it's the middle of July – summer is half over and we haven’t done half the things we wanted to do. Time just seems to fly by – and we complain that we don’t have time for anything.
As a society, we’ve become accustomed to ‘instant gratification’. Technology has allowed us to send documents across the country in under 30 seconds, fix a ‘home cooked’ dinner in under 15 minutes, and view pictures instantly. But it really wasn’t all that long ago that the only way to get documents across the country was by mail – and wait about a week. A home cooked meal involved actually peeling real potatoes. Do you remember life before digital cameras? You had to take your film to the store (or send it away in those little envelopes), wait for it to be developed and go get them – usually to find that the picture you wanted didn’t turn out quite like you had hoped! It wasn’t that long ago that a busy phone line was common, and if you wanted to tell someone something – you had to wait until you got home to call them – and then wait for them to be home!
We create all of these bits of technology to make our life easier – to give us more time. If I can fix dinner in 15 minutes as opposed to 60, then I’ll have time for xyz. The problem is, we don’t have more time – we just get more busy! If people are working 60 and 70 hour weeks now – what in the world did they do before internet, cell phones and UPS Overnight???
I remember when I was a little girl, and we lived back in the country. This was before cable tv,
microwaves and cell phones. We popped Jiffy Pop on the stove, played outside, and called people mostly when we needed to ask them something. One thing that I remember is that sometimes the lights went out. I used to love it! Why?? Because there was nothing that we could do! It was usually too dark to go outside – and nothing worked – not even the water. We were ‘forced’ to find something else to do. I remember playing games by candlelight and camping in the den by the fire because the rest of the house was cold. To my parents, I’m sure it was torture – to me as a kid, it was the best life had to offer!
Why is it that we buy our kids a $400 playhouse and they play in the box! Why is it that a toddlers favorite toy is a pot and a spoon! Because they aren’t yet consumed by the ‘benefits’ of technology – and have the ability to enjoy the simple things.
Now, I’m not saying technology is bad – if it weren’t for e-mail, I wouldn’t be able to send these messages! I spend a small fortune each month on ‘technology’. Like I said, Summer is almost over. I know lots of you had awesome summer vacation plans – once-in-a-lifetime trips. But here’s my challenge to you. Take a vacation from technology – take a week off from cell phones, Wii, computers, Blackberries and yes, even TV.
As a society, we’ve become accustomed to ‘instant gratification’. Technology has allowed us to send documents across the country in under 30 seconds, fix a ‘home cooked’ dinner in under 15 minutes, and view pictures instantly. But it really wasn’t all that long ago that the only way to get documents across the country was by mail – and wait about a week. A home cooked meal involved actually peeling real potatoes. Do you remember life before digital cameras? You had to take your film to the store (or send it away in those little envelopes), wait for it to be developed and go get them – usually to find that the picture you wanted didn’t turn out quite like you had hoped! It wasn’t that long ago that a busy phone line was common, and if you wanted to tell someone something – you had to wait until you got home to call them – and then wait for them to be home!
We create all of these bits of technology to make our life easier – to give us more time. If I can fix dinner in 15 minutes as opposed to 60, then I’ll have time for xyz. The problem is, we don’t have more time – we just get more busy! If people are working 60 and 70 hour weeks now – what in the world did they do before internet, cell phones and UPS Overnight???
I remember when I was a little girl, and we lived back in the country. This was before cable tv,
microwaves and cell phones. We popped Jiffy Pop on the stove, played outside, and called people mostly when we needed to ask them something. One thing that I remember is that sometimes the lights went out. I used to love it! Why?? Because there was nothing that we could do! It was usually too dark to go outside – and nothing worked – not even the water. We were ‘forced’ to find something else to do. I remember playing games by candlelight and camping in the den by the fire because the rest of the house was cold. To my parents, I’m sure it was torture – to me as a kid, it was the best life had to offer!
Why is it that we buy our kids a $400 playhouse and they play in the box! Why is it that a toddlers favorite toy is a pot and a spoon! Because they aren’t yet consumed by the ‘benefits’ of technology – and have the ability to enjoy the simple things.
Now, I’m not saying technology is bad – if it weren’t for e-mail, I wouldn’t be able to send these messages! I spend a small fortune each month on ‘technology’. Like I said, Summer is almost over. I know lots of you had awesome summer vacation plans – once-in-a-lifetime trips. But here’s my challenge to you. Take a vacation from technology – take a week off from cell phones, Wii, computers, Blackberries and yes, even TV.
Now, before you hyperventilate – hear me out. What would happen if – when you got home from work, you turned the phone off, left the computer alone and didn’t turn on the TV? What would happen if for one week – your family gave up the devices that were created to save us time? Maybe we’d be surprised to find out just how much time we have for the things that matter most.
Have a wonderful week!
1 comment:
Games, anyone? ;) I love seeing the picture of Morgan and your Dad. Omg, she's growing up, huh?
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