We received a wonderful gift recently from Rebecca's mother -- a new laptop that she had won in a contest.  Hooked up with a wireless network (a gift from my mother -- boy, we have great mothers!), Rebecca and I can now sit out on our swinging chair with only the clouds as a roof and do our blogging and writing outside. 

In one way, this is very exciting -- any excuse to be outside is a good one.  And yet, it feels a little strange to be out in the wind with a computer on our laps.

This begs the question of the role of technology in our lives.  As human beings, when does technology enhance our lives, and when does it detract?  For instance, for many years Rebecca and I resisted getting email.  Everyone we knew was doing it, but we just didn't want to include it in our lives.  Finally we 'took the plunge', and today email is an integral part of our lives -- indeed, if our email goes down, it's priority #1 to get it back up, since the majority of our communication is email.  In some ways, email has perhaps enhanced our lives, putting us in touch with people across the world.  Yet, it takes up an immense amount of our time, and we spend a lot of energy sitting in front of the computer typing to people instead of interacting with them one-on-one. 

Now it's cell phones that Rebecca and I are resisting.  Will we soon give cell phones a try, and find ourselves just as dependent? 

During a recent adventure in the woods, I got to be without technology for ten days. Sure, there are lots of things I missed out on without technology, such as the news, innumerable emails from friends, phone communications, and movies.  But there are lots of things I gained by being technology-less, such as a deeper appreciation for food, fire, and light, the experience of watching the sun move for hours through the sky, and the sounds of night creatures exploring my camp. 

Technology truly is both a boon and a bane, and Rebecca and I are still finding our balance when it comes to including technology in our lives.  It's something that is probably wise to consider, since if we simply follow our culture's dictates, we'll be constantly spending money and creating technological waste as we try to keep up with the latest technological advances.  This year's mega-computer is next year's dinosaur.  Will we leap forward in an attempt to keep up with technology's ever-advancing pace, or will we find a way to dance elegantly with its movements?

Back to the Journal