I just recently came across an article by Jupiter King entitled “Technology,” which prompted me to write this article. (I’m quite sure it won’t make the “hot content list”).

It is amazing today that we have so many technical advancements that were only science fiction 20 years ago. Some of the gadgets we have today you would only see on “Star Trek.” For instance we have powerful lasers, machines that can read your eye print, fingerprint, and even your speech patterns. What’s next? A machine that can read your mind? (Don’t laugh- someone is probably working on it, and /or perfecting it).

I know I am not the first to write about how we are a slave to technology, and one example that comes to my mind is a song from 1969

We learned how to harness the power of technology (electricity for example), now some of us are helpless without it. We are a slave to our own efforts.

I witnessed first hand, a demonstration of how people can become so complacent and self important in the absence of their creature comforts, during the 2005 hurricane season. The story is as follows:

As you may know, In September 2004, Florida had a rough hurricane season, and a lot of people had to learn some lessons the hard way. What I mean by this is; some of us just don’t heed warnings, and then they go into a frenzy trying to avoid the consequences of their actions. You see, even though hurricanes are dangerous, generally there is a warning at least a few days before a storm strikes, yet some people either have complete disregard, or they wait until the last minute to make preparations. This happens every year.

It is a wonder to see how far people will go to hold on to their conveniences. They will very often endanger themselves and others. The wants outweigh the needs. There are stories after every storm about people who are so reliant on their wants, that they go to extreme measures like running a generator indoors during the storm, just so they will have the “Mighty Wide screen TV” on.

After the storm, the same priorities come about. Some people just can’t seem to go without. Instead of the needs (food, safety, shelter), the wants (TV, air conditioning, money) take over. I mean – what good is money going to do if there are no places open to buy things? Again, the “Technology Monster” rears its head. After one storm I declined an offer from someone , to hook his generator up to his central air conditioner, and then to the rest of the house. I told him about the very dangerous nature of this request, and refused.

I am not against technology, as we all have something gained from it, and I wouldn’t be typing this article without it. I would however, like to propose that we look back a few years. Was it really “that bad?” Here are some not so old examples which may come as a shock to some younger people:

1. We had to actually get up and walk to the TV to change the channel. (WOW, imagine that. No remote)
                                                                                                                                                                                                       
2. Before cable, it was once a special occasion to watch a movie.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
3. Microwave ovens once were for the elite few who could afford them.  

   
                                                                                                             

4. If you wanted music, you had to go to a record store. (What’s a record?)

   

5. Some of us actually had to WRITE letters on stuff called paper, and wait for the mailman to deliver it.

   

6. We didn’t eat food from a box. You actually had to cook it!
   
7. Some of us couldn’t afford air conditioning. Oh no! We used fans.

   

8. We played board games like Monopoly, as opposed to violent Internet games where you never see your opponent.

   

9. We had portable radios, no iPods.
   
10. Recording music was actually done on tape, like the “reel to reel recorder pictured below.”

    

11. People had to use a pencil and paper to solve math problems. With their brains.

    

12. If you needed to make a phone call, you had to get out of the car, and use a pay phone like the one below.

    

13. The school library had encyclopedias. You actually had to read through the books to find information.

    

14. Musicians had to compose music on their own, the computer didn’t do it for them. (What? Are you Kidding? No “loops”)

    

15. Some people had 8 track players in their cars instead of CD players. (You actually had to listen to a whole song to get to the next one. No rewind or fast forward)

          

16. You had to pay for your groceries with cash or check. No ATM. No choice of credit/debit.

    

17. A person would have to balance a checkbook without online banking.
18. Car engines were repaired and diagnosed by a mechanic (not by a computer somewhere in Detroit).
19. A wristwatch had hands on it to tell time, not digital display.
20. A phone was just a phone. Not a calculator, camera, GPS, etc.