Dependence

 

It’s like the lobster in a pot of water

which comes slowly to a boil. It has

no idea what is happening until it’s

to late.

The patient is prescribed medication

to help alleviate their pain. Opioids

are known to become addictive after

usage for several days.

There have been swift and giant

leaps in technological advancements

in recent years.

We have become acustomed and

attached to speed-of-light commun-

ications, computer programs and

artificial intelligence which boggle

the mind.

Smart phones connect us immediately

with many places on Earth. They give

us instantaneous access to information

which entire libraries used to do.

As a society and individually we have

become accustomed to the rapid boil of

technology, certainly addicted to having

our wants and needs serviced immediately.

The captains of industry and marketers of

technology have sold us into a futile mer-

chandising realm of dependency.

We have become the unwitting lab rats of

comercial conditioning.

Ask a Millennial if they could imagine

leaving their smart phone and electronic

devices at home, and waiting several hours

to retrieve their messages upon returning

home for the day?

How about finding a pay phone when out

and about during the day? What about

picking up a newspaper or locating a book

to get needed information?

No sir, no ma’am, no need to fret, no

need for dismay. Help is at your keyboard

finger tips or voice activated request every

moment of every day. Any need which

arises to be satisfied immediately, there’s

an app for that.

And wait and see what happens when

systems go down and there’s is a black-

out all around. Will you have the inclina-

tion or wherewithal to look a stranger

directly in the eye and ask them for the

time of day.

By then, it may be too late. Likelihood is

you’re already over your head in hot water.

There was a world in motion before Steve

Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Bill Gates, you know.

                     -30-

Chris Hanch 8-16-2020