OK computer

So, as some of you know, Wild Mountain Bell has a song called "Apples", in which we make total fun of ourselves and the way society (and us) rely too much on technology. We are getting dumber by the minute.

On my plane ride on my way back to California yesterday, I turned my phone on after landing to tell my sister in law that I made it safe. The darn thing would NOT cooperate. I was pretty pissed, but I laughed and told the passenger next to me, "this thing is a piece of crap anyway"...and he responded with "yah, but we can't live without them."

Is that true? I mean, is that how we define life anymore? I know as I am typing this up on my computer, after spending a whole chunk of monotonous time on facebook, I am no better. I rely equally on my gadgets to get me through the day.

Luckily, I have escaped the draw of having a television set, and I do my best to avoid ever listening to commercials on any form of media, but I still rely on my phone GPS to get me around town and connect with people during the day.

I called my bank today, and this is why I am writing this blog. Instead of talking to a human being on the phone, the computer automated voice was my guide. The only thing I wanted to do was talk to a person. The computer had no compassion and sure as hell wouldn't let my babbling mouth explain my situation. I mean, I was frustrated, to say the least. But more than just being agitated at the lack of understanding from a gadget, I was aching for the true human connection that we have lost in today's day and age.

Computers and phones and ipads have all been invented to make our lives easier....and in some ways, it has opened up our capacity for knowledge more than we could have ever imagined. But it has trapped us. Truly. We are full of information, but lacking human relation in so many ways.

Imagine life without computers, phones and other smart technology. Now, it seems near impossible to fathom such a world. But back in the day, our grandparents...and even parents never knew what life was like with such technology. In some ways, it has advanced society, but in my opinion.....it has truly made us dependent beings. What would it be like, if for one day, we all connected to the magic around us, instead of the life on the satellite waves?

I don't know......but it's kind of intriguing.

Maybe it would force us to rely on each other more.  Allow for our neighbors to give us those directions that our GPS usually told us. We could entertain ourselves with music, art, theater and poetry while sharing all these glorious gifts we've been given.  We could tap in to the resources of societies elders, and ask them to define some of the great historical knowledge we really need to understand. We could also peel our faces off of the computer screen and focus in to the NOW.

I don't know about you guys, but I think I am ready for a radical change in this world. A radical, and yet incredibly simplistic change. Maybe I couldn't blog anymore, but instead share my story with a group of people over a scrumptious meal. The possibilities are endless. And though at first the change may be scary, it would also enrich our lives more than any computer friend could ever do. Because it's real life, people......

 and it's delicious.