I am exceedingly glad that I arrived on the planet when I did. I love all the toys! My cell phone contains a computer more powerful than the ones in the computer labs when I went to college. (I will admit that was around the time of the dinosaurs.) It is so easy to access information. I have immediate access to all the music I want. I have immediate information about everything, thanks to Google. Many of us have become conditioned to type in a word and Google will find out everything about it in a fraction of a second.
So unlike my heading, it appears that technology makes my life much easier and manageable in addition to happier and more enjoyable. I should be blessing, not cursing, my equipment.
But when something used to work, and now it has stopped working, it does frustrate me.
I know. It is likely “operator error.” I have a sneaking suspicion that it might be related to those annoying upgrade demands I keep seeing come across my screen, interrupting whatever task was at hand. I readily admit that I often put them off.
I may be suffering the consequences.
My issue is with the camera on my PC. It worked fine until a few months ago.
Two weeks ago, I tried to connect with a new colleague at Headquarters and could not get my camera to work, but I haven’t thought about it since. Instead of paying attention to what wasn’t working in that moment and making a conscious effort to take a closer look, I chose to ignore it. In two weeks, I am scheduled for another meeting involving colleagues from all over the world and my camera needs to work.
It does remind me about life though.
I have a tendency to minimize issues when they first occur. Honestly, if it doesn’t feel like that big a deal, I may just ignore it. I am not recommending this strategy, unless you want a strategy for frustration and failure.
As far as technology goes, it is not going to magically correct itself. That is true of life as well. It is one of the many reasons to do all our spiritual practices. Often during a silent mediation, an answer will just appear. Sometimes, when journaling about my day, I will stumble across the idea that I needed to help me see things clearly. Then one could follow-up and use our most powerful tool, affirmative prayer to create what one does want.
But if I am “too busy” to journal or meditate, life will have to go the extra mile to get my attention. My health may be challenged, or my bank account may be compromised or my relationship may fall apart. It is likely that none of these things happened in a vacuum. It is quite likely that life left clues about my false beliefs long before anyone could see a measurable result.
The good news is that it is never too late. I can pay attention to the clues and the messages to up-date my computer and myself.