In the spirit of "giving credit where credit's due," I have to give credit to a fellow classmate on another campus extension, Jennifer, and (again) Ms. Clark, my public speaking professor at SEMO.
Today was our final day of class for the summer. Our assignment was to give an impromptu speech on a topic given to us at random. Jennifer's topic given to her was technology and she spoke of how modern technology was more of a detriment than a help.
While Jennifer wasn't saying we should go back to the days of Fred Flintstone, she did bring out some very valid points about how modern technology is actually driving us FURTHER from people instead of CLOSER to them.
The December 2011 issue of The Reader's Digest posted an article about the fact manners have gone by the wayside in modern American society. My classmate reiterated some of the things that this issue brought up.
We all love our cell phone. I enjoy the convenience of calling my kids at home or making an important phone call when I'm out. How far we've came from the party line telephone we had in the 1970's!!! While certainly an important tool in our everyday lives, we are so apt to misuse it. How many times have we seen the person walking through the store with a bluetooth earpiece carrying on what almost looks like a one-sided conversation? It's annoying and it's rude.
How about texting and driving? I'm guilty but I'm getting better!!! While it certainly might be considered an act of rudeness by some, it diverts your attention from the road and makes you dangerous. You're an accident waiting to happen! Put up the phone or let someone else drive!
Our beloved Internet. Without it, I wouldn't be sitting here blogging this topic nor would I have been able to hear a fellow student on another campus extension give her speech! Have we perhaps become too dependent upon the Internet? When I graduated in 1992, the Internet was unheard of. If I did a research paper, I had to (gasp!) dig out books and magazines. My last speech I gave was under the determination that I would not use any online sources. I almost got away with it. I wound up giving in and I e-mailed a couple of people I know because I couldn't remember the name of a radio program I needed to cite as a source.
I'm spoiled to my 55" LG TV, I really am!!! I love seeing my beloved Cardinals in high-definition. I sometimes remember how happy I was as a kid when my parents let me watch The Incredible Hulk or The Dukes of Hazzard on the 25" console TV. I would now look at a 25" tube-type TV and laugh, thinking of how far we've came. On the other hand I've admittedly let myself become spoiled and I've defined happiness by the size of a TV screen.
Technology can be a good thing. I'm not suggesting, nor was my classmate, that we should go back to the Stone Age or the Dark Ages. Maybe it's simply time we lay down the phone for a little while or turn off the TV for a bit and get outside. Enjoy God's creation He so generously gave us. Have a conversation with the family without the TV on. We should have the rule over technology and not the other way around.
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