Technology - Love it or Loathe it

This blog topic is inspired by my loss of access to this beloved blog for 10 days!

I’m of an age where I can remember life before iPhones, CDs, portable computers; let’s just say pre 24/7 jacked in. fyi this historic/ancient period is featured in my book Rekindled Love. I consider it an education to "da yoof, innit" ;-)

These days you send an email and expect a response almost immediately. When did this happen?

Not so very long ago we sent letters via “snail mail”. One found a nice piece of writing paper, thought about what message you wished to convey, and carefully constructed a wonderful piece of communication. You’d then wander (not very far) to a nearby post box and send said letter. In a day or two it would reach the recipient, and a few days later you could expect a response.

With the popularisation of computers and therefore email, this long wait has been eradicated. This, on the surface, seems a good thing.

However, particularly on social media the temptation to put out every thought (or details of every bowel movement of your newly arrived child for some) is now too great. We end up filling our walls and newsfeeds with what is, let’s face it, mindless drivel.

I have read some very good books by Ben Elton, but his scary version of a future where everyone is obliged to post every last little thing online seems to draw ever nearer.

If you watch horrendous trash TV, such as Jeremy Kyle, you cannot fail to notice how often, “but she said that he said on (social media of choice)…” is mentioned in arguments. The common gossip and mud flinging that now happens has increased.

The phenomenon that is the “troll” has emerged. Once upon a time a troll was a rather ugly fearsome creature which lived under bridges, and took pleasure in scaring people (or goats) who trip trapped over said bridge. 
These days, a troll is a cowardly person who hides behind the anonymity of the internet to torment others, often complete strangers, to try to destroy their fragile ego. 
These trolls have been cited as causing some to take their own life. A truly awful side effect of this insta-messaging. 
Can you imagine a troll taking time, effort and expense of doing the same in a letter? No. It is purely because they can infuse their poison instantly and with little effort. 
I do feel sorry for them though; their own loves must be so devoid of interest or love. It is a pity they feel so bad about themselves they find it necessary to try to demoralise others.

And as a wider spectrum, technology causes us great stress. At work, my computer often seems to take on a mind of its own, and in the middle of the office I have often been reduced to requesting my PC to ‘fornicate off’. 

The amount of people who now have access via phones to emails etc. that it has become an expectation that you still look at work emails whilst on holiday; it’s preposterous! One needs to go on holiday to relax and unwind to help us cope with the overloaded world we now live in. Give us a break!

It also fuels consumerism. We can actually live our lives now without ever stepping foot outside our own home. In theory, there are jobs where you can work from home – source of income. With that income you can then order food, clothing, items of all sorts with a click of a button and within a few days (or with Amazon’s new service, within hours) it arrives at your door. This in turn leads us to becoming more isolated and insular. We have started to become more about ‘self’ than ever.

If we have an accident, instead of shrugging it off and dusting ourselves off we have to blame someone else and sue the pants off them, as we ‘need’ more money to buy more stuff. But does this stuff makes us happier? Seemingly not, as we as a people are now unhappier than we were even 50 years ago. People were actually happier during World War 2!! It makes my heart and soul cry for our race.

However, we are also able to use this resource for good. We can use tools to help us whittle down prospective partners, and find good relationships via online dating. It saves our precious time.

But why are we so time poor now? We have many many labour saving devices, yet we are all crying out “I don’t have enough time” or “I’m too busy”.

Many of my holistic friends share their positive messages online. It reaches a wider audience. Even the wonderful man who is His Holiness the Dalai Lama is on Twitter, and puts out wonderfully inspiring messages of compassion. So there is hope.

And I myself could not be an author without the internet. I have written my books on my laptop, self-published online and indeed publicised my books on social media and varying websites (admittedly with little effect), but they are at least there. And they are not having to conform to a traditional publisher’s ideals. I can be my own person, and write in my own style. It leads to a broader spectrum of reading material, and hopeful thought flows. We can expand our own consciousness and find like-minded souls to link with and share these wonderful ideals exponentially.

Unless some mass extermination event or massive EMP goes off, we have technology. It is a massive part of our lives. If we have communication problems we suddenly feel cut off from the world, and we go into panic. As we retreat into our homes we rely on technology to reach friends (often in far flung places of the world).

So, whether you love it or loathe it (or a little of both), technology is here to stay.

You can make a difference in its application.

I think I’ve mentioned “The Universe” before – a great resource for positive thinking. But “The Universe” says “Thoughts become things, choose the good ones!”

I would ask you to bear this in mind. Please; when you use technology do so responsibly.

If you must post online, take care to post from a place of love. Share the good, and together we have a chance of reducing the bad.

Always in love and light,

TL