When Technology Is Good, I Love It

It feels as though technology is taking over every nook and cranny of life, now. Thinking back to a time, at nearly the turn of the new millennium, it seems there's no time I've been unplugged for twenty years. I remember when my dad got a cell phone, which was limited to extreme cases of use. Then when he had a computer, and his life was based around his addictive personality. He had strict rules for use. I wonder if he'd consider the amount of time I spend looking at some screen or another an addiction. He was always carefully watching me for addictions.

One of the major activities in my life was always writing. I filled notebooks, journals, binders, and scraps of paper with thoughts and ideas. This began when I was 8, when I was actually settled down, no longer being told my living situation was temporary. This activity is now done on computers. Is it really fair to consider the amount of time I spend on the computer so heavy, when all I did was switch the place I was writing from paper to electronics?

However, I do wonder what would happen if I lost my electricity for a while. Would I have withdrawal? Would there be some major collapse in my life? I don't think so. Looking back, shortly after moving into this apartment, I was without internet or smart phone for several months. I didn't collapse in a puddle, then. I adapted until I could reconnect. That was five years ago, though.

This weekend, I was directed to an app that the elementary school teachers use to inform us parents of what is going on in class. Email has now become obsolete, in favor of text messages. The world revolves around that cell phone I know my dad hated more than anything on earth. There is no escaping other humans. There is no escaping the obligations of connectivity. A part of me still wants to run away, live in the woods, and go off grid. However, I've adapted to this world, now. I've made my peace with it.

I don't think I'm addicted. It's just the single easiest way to live that I've found, so far. Seems to be a good experiment in survival. As long as the electric and communication grids all remain in tact. I've seen technology fail spectacularly, too. It could go very wrong, very fast. Let's just hope it mostly remains steady. When it's good, it's really good.