Technology Thoughts

Reading for classes can be very tedious, but when it comes to history, I often find the assigned books to be surprisingly thought provoking. Last week I had to read a book for my British History class called Sixties Britain. It detailed everything from the political revolution of the 1960s to the creation of miniskirts, to the advent of television. Reading about the 1960s made me very grateful I never had to live in them (sorry Mom and Dad)! I don't know how I would have handled some of the cultural fads of the sixties (clothing styles and hippies, for example). I come from a pretty conservative background-- a definite contrast to the liberal waves of the 60's. However, reading about the technological advances of the 1960s did did lead me to reflect on some of the changes that have occurred in our style of living since then. Even just during my lifetime, technology has exploded in leaps and bounds. I remember how exciting it was when we got our first cds. (I can only imagine how much more exciting it must have been for my parents to get cassette tapes after a lifetime of record players. Who wants to carry around a music recording the size of a frisbee?) Computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices carried the same aura of mystery and excitement.
One memorable technology change was the creation of the remote control. I remember what it was like to have no remote controls. We actually had to get up to change the channel on the TV (gasp!) (Funny we're suddenly back to those days in our aparment. But I think that's only because we can't find our remote . . . )
When we finally got our first remote control, it was a momentous occasion. Use of the remote was reserved only for extra-special events, such as days when we were sick. Maybe that had something to do with the set-up. If the truth be told, this was before the days of slick-cordless remotes. Our remote had a long, silver cord that ran all the way across the room and pluged into the VCR. It's a wonder that Mom didn't trip and break her neck with it draped along the floor (probably the reason it was relegated to sick days and sick days alone). But, nonetheless, it was still a remote and I felt like a princess on those rare days that I got to stay home and use it to watch normally-forbidden treasures, such as Disney cartoons or Sleeping Beauty Ballet on Ice.
It's funny how fast technology changes-- and how fast our lives change with it. No one would dream of having a TV with a plug-in-remote in this age. Nor would we be able to do without computers or DVDs or so many other inventions that have taken a firm hold in our homes. But at the time, there were no cordless remotes. Computers were almost unheard of and DVDs were yet to be created. In spite of that, we got along fine. Not only did we get along without all those technologies, but we were content without them. Without all these distractions, we actually spent more time doing things that really mattered-- spending time with family and friends, serving others, deeping our testimonies of the gospel. Maybe having a plug-in remote wasn't so bad after all.