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NOVEMBER 19, 2008

A Wrong Tool For Every Job

No matter how mechanically inept you consider yourself, would you try to pound in a nail with a saw? Undo a screw with a hammer? Cut wood with a butter knife? I think not.

Yet, every year I’ve heard things like – we don’t need books, we have the Internet. The Post Office is going to close because now we have e-mail. I don’t need to learn math, I have a calculator.

It’s true our current state of gadgetry is phenomenal and much of it is helpful. But….

It seems to me that people forget, the cell phone, the blackberry, the Internet, the palm pilot, the laptop, even the Wii are still just tools. Electronic tools at that. Most simplistically, what do you do when the power goes out?

But there is more to it than that. Cell phones are great, but not when driving. The Internet has as much false information as factual and can be harder to distinguish. Wii's are now causing health problems, such as stress injuries, because people consider it a 'game' rather than movement.

Don’t get me wrong. I love technology. I go through withdrawal when I’m away from the computer and e-mail… but that doesn’t mean I’ve abandoned the Post Office, pencils and paper.

The technology we have today is wonderful – but not infallible. It is a supplement, new tools, but not a replacement. All technology can break. Pens run out of ink, power lines go down, satellites get misaligned. The key is not to abandon any tools, but to learn the best ways to use them.

I read an article this week pointing out that due primarily to security issues, former Presidents of the United States have not used e-mail. Period. Not even for personal conversation. Is this reasonable? I’m not sure. But I am sure that anyone who believes that there is only one tool, is going to have a great deal of trouble building their world.

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posted by Su

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Comments

Mercedes said, on Nov. 24 at 12:10PM
Yes, all our technology is great but I had this reminder just a few weeks ago when the power went out one evening. It wasn't out for more than an hour and a half but it felt like FOREVER! No lights, no movies, no music, nothing to do but maybe read a book by candlelight (perhaps not good on the eyes but still a wonderful pasttime). I wonder if someday we'll lose the simple joy of opening the pages of a book. I, for one, hope not.