Dear Facebook,
I know this is an awkward way to break up, through an impersonal letter, but then again, our whole relationship has been impersonal, hasn’t it? Oh, we’ve had our good times, especially back at the beginning when everything was new and exciting. But things change. And I’d like to steal George Costanza’s line and tell you, “It’s not you, it’s me,” but that’s not true at all. Actually it IS you.
“I’m pretty much the only one in my entire class who doesn’t have an Xbox or a PlayStation or a Wii, you know,” my son said reproachfully to me a few months back. I’m sure he tried to use this to make me feel guilty so I would cave in and buy one for him, but instead I turned away to hide a smile as I secretly gave myself a pat on the back. He may have meant it as a guilt trip, but I took it as a compliment. You see, we were both comparing ourselves to other families, but with completely different results. He saw his lack of gaming system as a disadvantage compared to his peers, something that made him inferior. I, on the other hand, saw it as a victory that we hadn’t yet caved in to peer pressure from other families or even from our own kids. Score one for us!
I have a love-hate relationship with technology. On the one hand, I love this world of instant information. It’s amazing to pull up the Internet on your phone and find an answer to a question. It’s fun to check Facebook or Twitter wherever you are. It’s neat to Google a recipe or order a book or (ahem) read a blog post or two. Texting has formed a closer relationship between my brother and me and keeps me in touch with friends who are far away. And since I do, after all, keep a blog, I honestly can’t do without a computer and access to the Internet. So there are certainly many good things about technology. Continue reading “Living With Technology”
TruthNotes 