Message of the Day - Too Much of Anything

Good Morning,

 

I was thinking back to a short story by Isaac Asimov called ‘Nightfall’ where a civilization on a planet had multiple suns and consequently, there was always daylight every day. There was, though a cycle where the suns would be eclipsed for about a week or so every two thousand years. When this happened, the civilization, not having daylight, tore itself apart and reduced the civilization to the Stone Age. Then over next two thousand years, they would build themselves up again, and the cycle would repeat.

 

Taking that story and look at our society today with our ever-connectedness to the internet, MP3 Players, HD TV, cell phones, text messages, and ever-present overstimulation which has brought us ADHD and other interesting side effects. What would happen to us if we lost all those technological gadgets for a long period of time, like a week or a month?

 

When the hurricane came through Louisville and we were without power for 9 hours. Karen and I lit some candles and read. One of our daughters, though, was crying by the time the power came back on because the only thing she could do was read. No TV, no game boy (the battery wore out), no computer, etc. Many folks went two weeks without power, and they survived, but they hated it. At least they did not have to start over in the stone ages.

 

Not that I expect us to lose what we have, but we should not be so dependent upon it that we become useless when we are left out in the cold due to a natural or unnatural disaster.

 

One thought is to become less reliant on our technological toys, and well that is a nice thought, it will not be an easy sell. What could be is to have a ‘Pioneer Night’ or go camping in the middle of nowhere for a long weekend where there is no technology. Maybe once a year, so you become accustomed to not having all the tools and toys.

 

We must understand that addiction to technology can be just as damaging as to drugs (remember the commercial, ‘this is your brain, this is your brain on drugs’ with the egg and frying pan?).

 

I use my cell phones too much to read email all the time and I need to cut back. What else can we do to help us break these addictions?

 

Enjoy, now step away from the computer…..

 

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net

http://www.berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/

502-533-9336

 

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