Monday, May 8, 2006

The Trappings Of Technology

Recently President Bush gave a commencement speech to the graduating class at OSU, Oklahoma State University, where he said the following
My advice: Harness the promise of technology without becoming slaves to technology. My advice is that science serves the cause of humanity and not the other way around,
But it seems, that for many, it's too late. Myself included. What with our cell phones, MP3 players, PDAs, BlackBerrys, DVD players, computers, highspeed internet, digital cameras, TIVO, flat panel televisions and everything else with wires. "Oh no, my batteries are dead. What am I going to do?" Like I said, I include myself in this. I need my MP3 player and computer. In fact, I recently bought a battery charger so I can recharge the batter for my MP3 player.

People today don't take the time out anymore to look at life and enjoy it. We're too busy with our faces glued to some type of screen making sure we're not late for some important meeting or that we don't miss "American Idol" or playing Quake IV while our, well your, kids are out doing God knows what. Is it any wonder more and more people are wishing for the days before "modern conveniences"? Well, at least I do, sometimes. Remember the days before the internet? People had to go to the store to buy their porn. Before PDA's when you had to carry a notepad with you. It seems keeping up with them damn Jones' isn't such a good thing after all. We're too worried about downloading that new Black Eyed Peas song off iTunes we've forgotten what's out there. When was the last time you went out and actually enjoyed the natural beauty of this planet? Just sit in the grass and listen to the sounds of birds. Or went out on a clear night and looked at the stars? I like to do that every once and a while. On a clear night I like to look up at the sky and trace the curve of the Earth. It truly is amazing just how big it is. Do me, and yourself, a favor. One day a week, turn the tv's and computers and iPods off, take a chair out to your backyard and sit there for a while. Or go out one night and try to find the constellations. It's amazing how clear your mind becomes.
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5 comments:

Ed B. said...

I wish I could see the stars out here. I live by an airport. :-(

I wish I could claim I wasn't a slave to technology, but I am. But it is nice to kick back every once in a while and look at life and enjoy it.

Anonymous said...

Hehehehe - I CAN claim not to be. The way my days are organised at university, mean that I get a lot of free time to just sit and watch the clouds go by between classes. Or just as I sit on the bus.

Watching the world go by is a good pastime.

Anonymous said...

A. I would throw away my MP3 player if it had Black Eyed Peas on it.

B. You said "keep up with the Jones's"!!! No one our age (other than you and me that I know of) knows what that means!!!

C. You can't see the sky from L.A. because of all the light and smog.

D. Hopefully we'll be able to see the sky from wherever we move to.

How far are you from Austin??

FYI Did you catch the ghost hunters marathon on Sunday? It was AWESOME. Tonight is supposed to be good, too.

Christopher Lee said...

Deo, you and I are just old fogies in disguise. So let's 23 Skidoo.

I'm just over 400 miles away and I never miss Ghost Hunters. I love Lost and all, but I tape it and watch GH. I mean, come on, it's ghosts. "Help Me".

Anonymous said...

I know what it means to "keep up with the Jones's"!

Always gotta have something better than your neighbour.