We are in a river of
technology. We are ill at ease due to our fear of the unknown and in our
realization that we are not crossing it but are headed up-stream. The
rushing technological changes push against our legs that are now knee
deep in the flowing current.
The canoe we purchased for the adventure no longer suit’s the needs of the river with its flailing paddles and ineffective design, it quickly washes downstream and splinters into fragments upon the jagged edges of the riverbank. The safety line strung between us as we make our way serves as both lifeline and as a remembrance of the simplistic technology of the path behind us.
Our adventure reminds me of the village of creatures who lived along the bottom of the great crystal river in the book, Illusions, by Richard Bach. Perhaps our fate is to keep purchasing the latest model canoe, feeding the very corporations who are forcing the bends in the river, or maybe we too should simply “Let go” and allow ourselves to be carried along, bouncing off of rocks, taking our lumps, until we finally learn to adjust to a life void of technology.
The canoe we purchased for the adventure no longer suit’s the needs of the river with its flailing paddles and ineffective design, it quickly washes downstream and splinters into fragments upon the jagged edges of the riverbank. The safety line strung between us as we make our way serves as both lifeline and as a remembrance of the simplistic technology of the path behind us.
Our adventure reminds me of the village of creatures who lived along the bottom of the great crystal river in the book, Illusions, by Richard Bach. Perhaps our fate is to keep purchasing the latest model canoe, feeding the very corporations who are forcing the bends in the river, or maybe we too should simply “Let go” and allow ourselves to be carried along, bouncing off of rocks, taking our lumps, until we finally learn to adjust to a life void of technology.
Right there, that little mental jolt you just experienced when trying to imagine a world void of today’s technology - that was your first bump against the rocks. It takes awhile but it gets easier. Eventually those who survive the change will find true happiness and understanding. They will float, relaxed and un-tethered to societies’ network.
Their actions, however, will not be without consequence, for friends and neighbors shall shun them for their difference. They shall be cast from the herd. Their world will be a stillness that in time will prove a comfort, but the journey there will indeed test their spirit.
I, of course, write this - just having purchased the latest river-going vessel. It is a Hewlett-Packard with advanced processing paddles, Plug-N-Forge capabilities and turbo cushions. We are not yet ready to unplug from society but should there be yet another bend in the river before 2020, we will indeed opt-out, unplug, and disconnect leaving only a grinning selfie behind.
We take some comfort in knowing that our turbo cushions maybe used as flotation devices as we fall from the grid.
1 comment:
And I in my own little way have become one of the "Un Plugged" in the technology world - fighting up stream like a salmon; well in the realm of cell phones that is. Me and My little Flip Phone are doing just fine. he he
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