These Aren't the Droids You're Looking For

I will be the first to admit it--I am a huge geek.  I love the cliched sci-fi movies that immediately put one into a class of total dork without even checking ID.  In turn, I love technology.  Don't get me wrong--my kid is better at finding the right button on the TiVo remote than I am.  But I have a "relationship" with my BlackBerry and I think that the ability to replay insane comments by news announcers is pure heaven.

But I'm starting to wonder whether technology isn't the root of many of our troubles today.  I'm not talking about those ridiculous body scanners at the airport, though I could talk your ear off for weeks about those.  I mean, have we become so used to instant gratification that we no longer know how to function in daily life?

Let me explain my theory.  Today we have total access to the "outside" world, 24/7.  If we want to, we can skip commercials, talk to long-lost cousins, stalk the chick who's traveling for work with our significant others (hypothetically), and tell telemarketers to buzz off.  And the best part?  We can do all of this simultaneously!  We don't have to wait for anything.  Ask yourself--when was the last time your barrista took longer than a minute and a half for your non-fat white chocolate mocha, and you freaked?  And were you checking your texts or emails while you waited?  We get information that we want, when we want it.  Perfect, right?

Here's the problem.  There is certain information we don't get instantly.  There are no apps for finding out whether you should leave your husband.  Or what job you should take.  Or whether you are ready to have kids.  There is no website for checking to see whether your boss really is trying to push you out.  And barring the Psychic Network, there is no person who can tell you what you need to be doing next in your life.  And I think this scares the hell out of most of us.  I can't begin to tell you the number of stories I have heard lately from friends who are struggling.  It's heartbreaking.  And, yes, some of it is the economy.  And some of it is just plain "life."  And some of it is circumstance.  But I'm starting to wonder whether it's also the fact that we are so used to being able to control our world, we freak that there are things one just can't Google.

I'm not saying we should start a Wisconsin-level protest against technology--it does good things too.  Technology helps us share our issues with friends living across the country and they in turn can help.  It allows grandparents to see their grandchildren over the Internet in photos and on camera.  It connects people with those who we thought were lost.  So I guess these may not be the droids we're looking for.  And my point is that technology isn't all bad, but maybe it's not the world's greatest gift.  And seeing one possible reason why things are so frustrating, maybe we should take a deep breath and ease up on ourselves a bit.  Maybe...just maybe...it's ok not to know what we're doing.