Modern Times.
If you think about it, in this particular juncture in history, we live in a world where almost everything is within reach. Things are available in an instant. Instant coffee. Instant rice. Instant pizza. Instant credit card. Instant friends. Even instant "karma".
The significant revolution in technology enabled video conferencing between people who are thousand miles apart from each other. It has proliferated sharing of thoughts, ideas, personal mementos, even recorded experiences over social networking sites. Technology has enabled trade and commerce such as providing support for fast and reliable business transactions via secured processing systems available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Technology also facilitated exploration of worlds far beyond our imagination. We may soon be able to discover ecosystems existing in the deepest trenches of the seas, and habitable planets in the expansive universe that may well be in the future redefined as a multiverse.
Amidst all these "blessings" and developments happening around us almost instantly, we have forgotten some fundamentals and taken for granted a lot of the "old-time" charm.
Back To Basics.
Once in a while, don't you get a bit nostalgic? Well, if you are just in your teens now, then you must be thinking that I am just blubbering nonsense. If you were like me however, who has experienced the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in '91 OR has been perplexed with the Y2K bug, then you know exactly what I mean.
It used to be simple. Charming, more personal… intimate. You meet people over coffee and talk face to face. You travel thousands of miles for that business meeting. You get to experience the culture and the things your business partner's home country can offer. I know, yes, you can still do these things today. I am sure however, that you would opt to conduct your business meetings over Skype. You'd say it's more efficient and far more cost-effective. You are right of course. Call me old-fashioned, but I guess communication done through these electronic avenues reduces human interaction to nothing more than data transmitted over the wire (or the air)…
I like to see actual face reaction, genuine smile, quirkiness in voice, and peculiarities in gestures. I like handwritten notes. I like to touch or even smell what I am purchasing. I like to hear authentic singing voices. So, I made this list of things I miss before this whole computer technology revolution took over. Here they are:
5 Things I Miss Before Facebook, Ebay, Tweeter, and Justin Bieber.
1. I miss snail mails. E-mails, chats, IM's, etc., are all fine. Do you remember however, the excitement in receiving a letter from your grandmother who migrated in the States? There's the fancy letter opener you use to rip open the envelope. You can smell the chocolate from the stationery she used. You see her handwriting. You feel wonderful.
2. I miss writing journals on a diary. Facebook timeline (?) and tweeter updates are fine. Do you remember however, how you set a special time at night and remember all the things that happened on that day before you write your entry? You relive the emotions and the feeling is delightful.
3. I miss those genuine and beautiful singing voices. I don't like "auto-tune" at all. I miss those beautiful songs and ethereal voices of Disney Princesses from old Disney fairytale movies. When will they come back?
4. I miss sampling the merchandize. Ebay's great. I am an Ebay member and purchased a lot from that site. I miss however, smelling and tasting that apple pie before I buy it. I miss fitting that dress before buying it. I miss strutting those pair of shoes before I buy them.
5. I miss side trips in business meetings abroad. Well, who wouldn't miss this if your company switched to video conferencing?
There is nothing wrong in today's fast and hurried world. It's exciting and full of promise. It's just that from time to time, I would like to experience the good old times.
SPREAD THE HAPPINESS!
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