Technology: Man’s Greatest Failure

by Cookie

This sweet blogger has nominated me for the “inspirational blogging award”.  Which is really great, I’m happy other people are finding me interesting and amusing.  I have a few things to take care of with regards to that, but I think I will have to do it on the weekend, because it involves ironing out some technical things.  Things that are probably simple for most, but near impossible for me.  So in the meantime, thank you to addiesshutup.wordpress.com for the recognition.

Which brings me to today’s post.  Which, ironically enough has to do with the evil beast that is technology.  And the downward spiral it is for all humankind.

“What?”  You might say.  “Technology is saving us!!”

NO.  It is stealing our humanity one step at a time. For reals.  All those apocalyptic movies about machines taking over the Earth are commentaries on this very thing.  I shit you not.

Let me start by admitting that I am slightly old fashioned.  I don’t online bank, I like to speak with a real live teller.  I can barely get something to print from the laptop.  If Husband ever left me, I would probably never figure out how to hook up a tv to watch ever again. I just learned how to text.

I remember once, while shopping for my father’s Christmas present, I walked into Future Shop with a list made by him and my violin strapped to my back.  I found a salesperson and robotically read the list of computer related crap out to him.  He then proceeded to try and upsell me on some doohickey or another.  As if we were speaking the same fucking language or something.  I have an idea.  Let’s pretend like you are a Chinese butcher.  I point to my list and you go get that exact thing, because I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.  Ok?  I have a fucking violin slung across my back and you think I know anything about all of this shit?  Not bloody likely.

So.  Maybe I fear technology, but my observations are that we rely on it more and more and less and less on our people skills.  It is turning us into rude little fucks.

When I phone a friends house and their kid answers, there is no “just a minute please”  no ” who’s calling please”  no ” my mom’s not home, can I take a message for her?”.  They just drop the phone and walk away, while you try to eavesdrop on the background noise and figure out if she’s even there.

When you have to interact with a stranger, they can barely look you in the eye and form a sentence if they are under the age of 25.  Never mind schools not teaching kids cursive, we don’t even bother to teach them manners.  Speak when spoken to, you little shit.  You cannot reply to me by looking down at your smartphone and typing some bullshit shorthand at me.  Open your fucking mouth and acknowledge that you heard me.

Texting and emailing have their conveniences.  Absolutely.  But I worry when it becomes the only form of communication we are interested in or capable of.  We are on a slippery slope to becoming Tom Hanks in “Castaway”  if we don’t teach the next generation how to interact with live people.

I wish for a time when things were less complicated.  I remember summers at the cottage when we didn’t have a tv or even a phone.  We played cards and went fishing and read books and had conversations.  We didn’t need electronic things to entertain us because there was this giant toy called “Outside”.

I hate that everything happens at the press of a button.  I hate that we try to eliminate hard work from everything.  Sometimes a little effort helps us appreciate things more.  Like building a house.  Or a relationship.

So today:  Put down that flashy thing with all the buttons.  Stop pressing them.  Talk in person rather than via text.  Sing a song or draw a picture.  Talk to an old lady at the store.

Don’t let the machines take your humanity from you.