Technology Put In It's Place

Us geeks tend to get all caught up with technology, the web, and the irresistible amazement with every step we take deeper into reliance on these things. It’s easy to get this way, and it seems there’s no end in sight. But, can I have you take a step back… deep breath… and join me on this reality check?

My grandfather never owned a computer. He never used a touch-tone phone, and wouldn’t know what to do with satellite TV. You wouldn’t see a microwave in his kitchen or even a digital watch on his wrist. These things had no place – no purpose – no application in his world. He lived a very simple life and was really quite content with as little technology as possible… yet still managed to be successful and influential.

You’ll notice the logo I use for Journey Internet. ‘Journey’ is in a larger font and capitalized – ‘internet’ is of a lower font and in lower case. To me, this is how it should be. The journey – the steps along the path we take; the people we surround ourselves with; the goodness of life – these hold a much greater significance compared to the things we pile on ourselves to clutter our lives. Yes, at times technology is clutter.

A distraught mother watches her little 11 year old daughter die after a long struggle with cancer. A lady on her way to a wedding was in a car wreck that took her leg. A young man died from a severe head injury and left his family in utter despair. Technology, in all its greatness could not help any of these people or their families in the hour of their greatest need. They all discovered the most powerful thing in their life didn’t have a power button and it wasn’t connected to the Internet. The survivors in all these cases dug deep into the treasures they discovered along their journey – the non-technical treasures – and found things even more powerful and amazing than the advancing world around them.

If you must geek out – do it about the wonder of life, the little treasures of greater meaning you’ve discovered along your journey, and all the amazing people around you.

Sure, technology is ever expanding and gaining a greater hold on us – but I encourage you to take time to realize the greater amazement in the people and treasure we discover along the journey.