Saturday, April 26, 2008

Each to our time

Just at the moment I've been having some trouble with the computer, either a programme has malfunctioned or there is a virus in it; and it frustrates incredibly when there are things to do which can't be done because the machine is not doing its bit. It makes me think, though; in the western world, with all the technology available, we do not only enjoy the advantage of it (huge! Ask any blogger!) but we get dependent on it. This is not an original thought, but it is a thing worth remembering. There are people still living who can remember when most working families did not have cars, they walked or used bicyles, or rode horses or in sulkies, or took a train, or bus, depending on the distance and where they were going. So now, we all have cars, and some people can't manage without them. If you remember that film "THE GODS MUST BE CRAZY" it showed a woman reversing her car up her driveway to collect mail from the letter box. Of course that was meant to be comic, but it is not much exaggeration. Give people technology, and they don't only use it, they become unable to manage without it. This can be a problem. Don't get me wrong. I'm glad to think that if someone needs getting to hospital, there is a motor powered helicopter to do that, not just a horse-drawn ambulance, or even a terrestrial vehicle when it would be faster to fly them. But I can see why people say we need to get back to the earth sometimes. I know how to milk a cow, because I did so for years when I was going to school and the family kept a house cow for our milk supply. Not so many people would know how to do that nowadays. But I would be in trouble if I had to build a shelter out of natural materials. That is a vanishing skill also.
Still, perhaps we were all born at the time in the world's history when God knew we were most suited. It would not have been better for anyone to live in another historical era than the one they were born into. There is a reason for all things, after all.

1 comment:

Deep thoughts... said...

Andrew, you are so right! I work at a motor sports dealership where we depend on the computer system for inventory management. It's interesting to watch the melee when the sytem goes down for any length of time, but it is true that the job is easier to do with the computer than without it. And therein lies the problem. I think a time may come in the not so distant future when we might be forced to revert to old ways of doing things. Will we survive?