Technology

Far be it from me to blaspheme against the god of technology, but......

It is interesting to note how the new technology of the past couple of decades has influenced people's lives, most specifically, their daily lives.  Think of the technological advances, in communications, of the past.  There was, of course, Gutenberg's printing press back in the 15th Century.  Books were now easier to print/publish, easier to read, and cheaper.  With all of that, people were encouraged to read.  Ideas could now be spread to more people in more places.  And, with reading, people had their horizons expanded.  Following two and a half and three centuries later came the Enlightenment.  A coincidence?  I think not.  And remember I've written before that I think the difference between Christianity and Islam (esp radical Islam) is that the West has had an Enlightenment, but there has been none in the Muslim world.

Continuing with books/reading, paperback books about 60 years ago also had an important impact, esp in the cost of reading.

We must toss in telegraphy, telephones, radio and, esp, television.  (I hope I'm not unintentionally omitting any others.)  Can the influences of those inventions be overemphasized?  I don't think so.

Then in the last decades of the 20th Century came the computer.  The computer spawned all the latest technology that surrounds us, ubiquitously!

Before I go into my blasphemy of the god of technology, each of the other major advances brought some negative (Boy, I still dislike using that word.  It conjures up bad memories of people unable to debate, defend their ideas.  Rather, they just tossed out epithets, "negative" one of the most common.)  For instance, television has provided some wonderful things.  But, at least from my view, it has also become an incredible waste land.  I think it has dumbed down people, increased immorality, and more.

So, we're left with cell phones, tweets and twits and texts, and the like.  In a way, all that is quite fitting with our cultural changes, that everyone gets a trophy, everyone is special and a winner, etc.  Nobody is a loser or, if there is one, it's not his/her fault.  Talking on a cell phone or texting, I think, makes one feel important.  Hey, why would being able to talk on a cell phone incessantly, text all day long, etc. make one "important?"  (That I don't have a cell phone doesn't mean I couldn't use one.  I choose not to use one, finding them very rude or, at least, the people who seem to be on them all of the time rude.  Need I remind that not once, but twice I was rear-ending by dingbats on their cell phones.  One time, my car was totaled and the officer told me I was lucky to get out without any injuries or even worse.  I replied if I was "lucky," I wouldn't have been rear-ended.  But think of the nice, quiet dinner at a restaurant interrupted by people at surrounding tables on their phones.  How about parents at their kids' ball games or dance recitals or anything, not paying attention to what their kids are doing, but working that cell phone to death--I wish!  Isn't it just great, too, to be grocery shopping and listening to the angry rants, complete with expletive deleteds, from some inconsiderate, but self-important, of course, ding-a-ling?)

Hey, in those parentheses, I think I just made my point!  I'm not going back to change or edit; I have to leave for a running date in about ten minutes.  I have two other things, the "historic" nomination of Clinton for President and the changes at Amherst College, at least from 45-50 years ago.  But they'll wait until tomorrow or the weekend.