Ode to Being Outside

They were supposed to connect us, to give us access to information, to entertain us and make our lives better in every way. By 'they' I mean  computers and specifically those we  carry around in our pockets. We still call them phones, but we seem to do everything on them BUT talk to each other. We can binge watch  'Big Little Lies' and 'Downton Abbey'. We can listen to an entire production of 'Don Giovanni' or learn to speak Icelandic. With Skype we can work remotely from home, with Amazon we can order books, clothing or even a new lawn chair and have it delivered to our door. Blue Apron will bring us all the ingredients we need to make a meal. Doordash will bring us the meal without even having to cook it.The only real live person in our lives will be the delivery guy.

In spite of all this access to services and information the need for speed and 'productivity' are driving us apart. Yes, we can get a lot 'done', but often I wonder, what does that mean? What did we really get 'done' and what did it matter? Our brains are reeling with information but what do we do with it? How valid is it? Who cares? Why not just go for a walk or Put the rocks back in the garden that you took out last week? That's what I did this morning. And while I was doing that, I encountered this beautiful green grasshopper sitting on a Cana leaf.* 

Instead of bringing us together, I think our growing addiction to 'information' is isolating us. We have to invent emojis to try and inject some emotion into our text communications. We rely on news that we read on our screens, even if we have no idea where it came from or how valid it is and no time to figure it out.

We build constructs that look great 'on paper' or in computer models, but don't work in reality. OilMan went back to work after he retired because he was one of the last engineers who had once carried a slide rule instead of a computer and actually knew how the things he designed worked.

It's not all bad. I know there are great benefits to technology. But I think there are also great benefits to recognizing what is really important and what is just frustrating. I am also aware of the fact that I am reaping the benefits of Blipfoto right now. I like to think that it represents the best that technology has to offer, and that the fact that we pay to keep it going without ads because we value the connections we make here is what sets it apart. And still we all struggle to manage the time we spend here....If I had a smiley face emoji I would put it here while I ponder how difficult it can be to be in the moment.

*I don't know if this illustrates my point, but I Googled 'grasshopper' to see if I could find a picture of one and what I got was: grasshopper phone management systems, grasshopper algorithmic systems for Rhino (what?), grasshopper shoes, grasshopper pie, and grasshopper drinks. I had to delve much further down the list to get a picture of an actual grasshopper....