Powder Keg Dry?

Maybe it’s the isolation we’ve been in for a year, or maybe it’s a sense of powerlessness that looms from time to time as we realize just how dependent we are on others. And systems. Technology. Dreaded technology. Can’t live with it; can’t live without it.

Yesterday was my tale of woe regarding internet connection and cable TV. Today it is phones and computer.

With irregular regularity my phone malfunctions (or so it seems). Same for the computer. I hastily attempt a fix to get back to work. It usually does not work. In frustration I hand the phone or computer over to Rocky. He worked with this stuff most of his career. And he is calm. Cool and collected, too. The opposite of me. I’m ready to dump it all out the fourth floor window.

My powder is not dry. I’m exploding…

Minutes later Rocky hands me the phone or points to the computer with an OK sign. I return meekly to the mentioned items. Yes. They are working well now. I continue my work. Reading, researching and writing.

Until the next time. Again, with patience, Rocky pushes me out of the room and takes charge of the scene. Again, minutes later, I am invited back to the computer desk to resume my labors.

Why don’t I learn this stuff and save Rocky from the hassle? Good question. Here is the answer: Because what is in my head is what I’m trying to transfer elsewhere. It is very complicated. It is delicate to handle. Learning technology will lure me away from what is important. I do not wish that to happen. There are far too many distractions as it is. I don’t need a crippling regime of learning technology.

I have always been impatient. I have always grumbled before losing my temper. Some grumbles are short lived. Others are longer and sometimes allowed to fade away.

Am I alone with this peculiar personality trait? Am I mentally disturbed? Is this understandable and expected?

But are we being manipulated to retain imponderable systems in order to remain connected to the world? How far does this manipulation extend? Is there any way to avoid it?

That is my question for the day. I want freedom from this tyranny of technology. It ought to be easily plugged in and operated. It is not the system that matters to me. It is the outputs of that system that fuel the imagination and intellect. That’s what I am after.

Why is that so difficult to get?

March 17, 2021