When I was a child our family shared a telephone with several other parties -- perhaps that was why it was called a party line. It was a first come, first served system. You waited your turn in line; online would come along many decades later.
At that time, telephone poles literally circled the world, their wires connecting us all. The system was orchestrated by an army of operators, no automated menus -- one spoke directly to a real person, always a woman. Actually, our family's lives were saved by one of those ladies, who called the police when the Tanners didn't answer their phone. Seems gas was leaking while we slept!
It's been three months since I moved from 10A to 7J. Finally the place looks like someone civilized lives here. The full realization of how we have become so dependent/enamored of our techie toys surfaced when shopping was essential, strength and time limited. However, my relationship with the wireless world can only be described as love/hate.
Furniture that had survived the move and some décor were in place. There remained a list of items to be purchased to complete and unify past, present and future. So I hit the keyboard of my latest model, high speed computer.
You don't want to know the details. Suffice to say that a calm, usually patient and polite person was reduced to barely controlled tears of frustration.
On the brighter side, my IT friend Juan has hooked my system up so that I can download programs on my computer, then by using a tiny remote I can view these webinars or whatever in bed, playing repetitively, if I wish, on my 40" TV screen. Simultaneously, I can watch an accompanying media player display hypnotic electronic explosions of brilliantly colored designs in endless variety. Squiggles, splashes and sunbursts erupt in perpetual motion as I recline on my art deco sleigh day (night) bed enveloped in surround sound. It's enough to either lull one to sleep or insure being up all night watching in fascination! This is a dream come true for someone who as a kid adored kaleidoscopes.
As I ponder the plight of living in a cutting edge environment while stuck with a mind that refuses to multitask, I realize that the dilemma isn't going away. Indeed, as the years pass the complexity can only compound. I only can cope with a lot of help from my friends as I gradually learn what buttons to push, or rather which keys to click.
The chants of Buddhist monks are intended to entrain their brains so that their focus is single-minded rather than dualistic. It isn't easy to serve opposing masters of spirit and secular realms. Observing my own behavior indicates that past habits such as mulling matters over, making lists of pros and cons and asking endless advice are pointless when making a decision. Procrastination ends only when I follow my own inner guidance. Results so far have proved positive in the long term. As the old advice goes:
"THE PROOF IS IN THE PUDDING"
By now you know that, whatever the question, Inner Guidance always delivers the only perfect answer, so why waste time and energy figuring things out? Debates are mental gyrations, usually empty exercises in speculation. I have a phrase which aptly describes this phenomenon, but it would most likely be deleted by an editor or certainly challenge my claim to be a lady.
Being wireless and clueless in this electronic universe is ok with me as long as I trust that that my internal messages to and from the infinite are certain to be loud, clear and accurate.
To be totally truthful my requests of divinity may be dubious, even dangerous. They originate in my imperfectly programmed mind. God gave us two ears and one mouth, implying that we use them in that proportion.
WHEN LISTENING TO AND FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS FROM HIGHEST WISDOM PRODUCE HAPPY RESULTS, WHO NEEDS WIRES AND CLUES?