I am most fortunate, due to age, in having come late to the
world of iPhones, computers, iPads and all the rest.
I see young
children who are far more savvy than I am when dealing with the internet, their
computer games and the magic that appears on the screens of these marvels of
electronics.
And I also
see the time-consuming worries, cost, and struggles that people have in keeping
up with the times – being engulfed in the mighty forces of consumerism.
I
appreciate that the world now revolves around these modern masterpieces -
gadgets that almost think for you, but often in their own language.
After much
cajoling, I managed to convince Margreet that with wonderful public transport
at the door, to own a car was unnecessary.
There have
appeared a few inconveniences in being without one, all of them surmountable,
and at little cost. The relief, the pleasure obtained, time saved, and trouble
avoided, have all formed an enormous plus to our lives.
But my
rather flippant suggestion that she gives up her various electronic devices has
been met with incredulous scorn. Yet hardly a day goes by without some
hair-raising computer glitch intruding on our combined lives.
Even home
conversation has diminished since electronic Scrabble can now be played night
and day (not by me) with friends and relatives near and far afield.
I have
always believed that simplicity is the key to a happy life.
People may
laugh at this now outdated dictum for happiness, which is derived from an
approach to life where my ideas of happiness have been two-fold - not to be
ambitious and to have no expectations.
The result
is a life of achievements and delightful surprises, with even the smallest
success, seeming to be a wonderful bonus. They are ideas quite out of tune with
those of this age.
As for
computers, I concede, partially, to their use in my life, as I write this blog
on a floppy disk Windows 95 and hand it to Margreet, who has a gadget on her
sophisticated machine that dispatches it into the ether.
Perhaps I
should stop asking her to be the medium between me and the world of mass
communication. But what is the point in writing if no one is going to read it?
Good or bad
my words may be (and I don’t really care) but I dearly love to put words on
paper.
And computers,
whatever ill I may think of them, do justify their place, and have clearly
become quite indispensable to most people, despite a mounting degree of
criminal intrusion.
Hopefully,
there is still a place for pen and ink. Isn’t it wonderful to receive a hand
written letter nowadays? I write them.
I would
like to shout “Luddites rise up”.
But we
would have no chance of success.
It’s far,
far too late.
