TECHNOLOGY

Our world has become ever dependent on the technology around us. Only a few years ago, we had to find a payphone to stop at for an urgent call and now it seems like a travesty when our cell phones, our life lines, die. We depend on technology for almost everything. We are so spoiled by it that it seems nearly impossible to function without it. Our dependence on our phones, computers, iPod, iPad, navigation systems, social media, etc. is at an all-time high. But what happens when technology fails us or doesn't live up to our expectation of perfection? What if that thing that we put all of our time, energy and reliance into doesn't always come through for us?

This morning, I realized how much trust I really do put into technology and how it can sometimes fail me. Like most of you, I haven't used a real alarm clock in years. I just set an alarm on my phone and without fail (most of the time), it wakes me up at the appropriate time. Being a child of the 21st century, using a traditional alarm clock seems "old school" or even out-of-date to me. Well somehow during the night, my phone must have turned itself off and instead of my alarm going off at 5:40am like always, it was silent. I slept in and had no idea what was going on until I woke up to the sun rising. My first thought was, I never get up when it's light out! It's always dark outside and early. Once I saw the light outside, I knew I had overslept. I dashed out the door like a madwomen and it took the majority of the ride for me to calm down. I felt silly for relying on my cell phone to get me up and to work on time. Technology had in fact failed me.

I have grown up during the age where technology is constantly growing and changing at a rapid rate. I have already seen so much progress in my lifetime and it's easy to get sucked in to the hype. Between my husband and I, I would say that we own the majority of the devices out there and I would consider both of us quite tech savvy. We know how to work them and we depend on them in our everyday lives. We like how easy and quick they make everyday activities. Technology has made us impatient and lazy, always wanting to look for the short cut. It has taken away our ability to appreciate the simple things in life. And I must say that my incident this morning has made me long a little more for a life filled with less complicated technology and more beautiful simplicity.

Our society tells us that we need the newest thing to enrich our lives. These machines won't ever let us down, but will open us up to a whole new world. Well I would argue that the most enjoyable times in my life are when I leave my phone at home and soak up the people and places around me. There is more to this life than relying on computers to run it for you or to provide you with mindless entertainment. We put so much of ourselves into little pieces of plastic that can easily fail us instead of investing in the people around us. We miss the things going on in our lives because we are not present. We are constantly distracted. There is so much beauty and fulfillment in the simplicity of flipping the pages of a good book (instead of a Kindle), spending time in nature (instead of on the computer), writing a letter (instead of email), misreading a map and taking an adventure (instead of a GPS), having to sound words out and look them up (instead of spell check), and being completely present for moments with your family and friends (instead of constantly distracted).

I challenge you (and myself) to stray away from technology for a while. Don't rely on it and don't let it suck you in. There are so many amazing things happening right in front of your face that you are missing because you are so tuned in to your technology. Take the hard way sometimes instead of the cheap short cuts that technology provides us. I assure it will enrich your lives more than technology ever could.