Contemplate

Recently I heard an interview with Roger Daltrey, lead singer of the British Rock Band The Who. He talked about technology as it pertains to sports, pointing out the horrible referee calls in the 2010 World Cup. His thought was that technology is needed to correct the blatant errors the referees inflicted that possibly cost vital games, and possibly even the cup for the American soccer team. On the other hand, he warned of the effects technology is having on our society at large. We may not truly see the effects for twenty or thirty years, but the effects will be felt. Roger opines that in these days of megabytes, gigabytes, and nanoseconds, people have forgotten how to contemplate. Everything in today’s life is so fast that we basically make quick assessments of information or events, and make nanosecond decisions. Contemplation is a good way to get our heads around an issue and truly understand it. Without contemplation, the information literally goes in one ear and out the other. Life is too short as it is to not fully understand and enjoy what’s around us. Take the test. When you click on a website and it takes more than three seconds, do you start to tap your foot and check your watch? Three seconds and we feel the whole world is passing us by. I can remember as a kid waiting for the picture tube on our television to seemingly take forever to warm up, but we were excited to see what picture would pop up. And then when we got a color TV in the late 60s, talk about anticipation…WOW! Heaven forbid if we ever have to wait at that endless red light, or in a long line at the grocery store, or stare at the bumper of a slow car ahead of us when we’re in a big hurry. We just don’t have the patience to wait for anything anymore. We used to fill our time with thoughts of the future, or what we were going to do with our friends next weekend. Families spent more time together before iPods, iPads, and endless channels of High Definition Television at our fingertips. Cashiers don’t even have to know how to make change anymore. How many times have you noticed the person at the register waiting for the change back to be displayed before delving into the tray to “count-up” your change? I guess it goes to show that the more we try to make our lives easier, the more complicated they become. Technology is an incredible thing for sure. My wife and I just purchased iPhones with a million Apps that do a million things. We never have to worry about locking the keys in the car, yep there is an App that will summon a satellite to pop the doors open. Never again will I have to wait in line to buy movie tickets, not with my trusty iPhone! Heck, I can even deposit a check without leaving the comforts of my home. With all this time I’m saving, why do I feel just as busy and tired as always? I don’t really have the answers, maybe I should take some time to contemplate for a while, and then I’ll get back to you…