The Paper and Pencil Days

I just deleted over 1,000 emails in my inbox. That was just from Monday of this week. Two weeks ago I deleted over 2500 emails that either were about past events, promotions, or stupid humor stuff people send you.  I know that in this electronic age you have to stay connected, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, blogs, myspace, Youtube, websites, email, and texting....that's enough time spent for a full time job.  (I wonder if that could work for me, the full time job that is???) 

Now as a media guy, you would think I am all for all this electronic stuff, and I am to some degree. However, my emails tell a different story.  It's a story of impersonal, get my message out to as many people as I can and never have to talk to anyone anymore. It's called "electronic relating."  Its easy, its time saving, and I don't have to spend much time doing anything but typing, and I can do that even in my pajamas.

Okay, I know that we are not going to go back to paper and pencil, but in the long run, I think most of us will regret that we didn't. Kill the electricity, pull down the internet, and the economy of the world goes with it. Nothing works without electricity, and our dependance on computers is irreversible.  All our information these days is on the internet. Someone told me the other day, that reading a book is like a romanic relationship, intimate and personal. Progress has been made by being able to bring the world together like it has never been done before.  Knowledge has increased, because everything is so accessable and immediate. No one would argue that we as a society haven't benefited from all the wonders of the internet, however, has it made us more intrusive and rude?

All you have to do is sit in a meeting with a room full of people with smart phones, and you will understand what I am saying. Throughout the meeting, like clock work, you will have people checking their phones or texting to someone about anything. Or, when you are in that same meeting and a loud rock music tune blares out into the room, oh, someone forgot to turn off their ringer. Repeatedly, I will be with someone in a mall, and within minutes, it happens. Yes, someone is more important than you are, because they merit an immediate response by a text message.   And then come the checking, the texting, the checking, the texting, the checking, the texting. (this could be a country western hit song)

My point is simple, people are rude with their technologies, and we are losing the art of learning how to unplug and be alone.  

No wonder Jesus predicted that the relationships in the last days would be cold hearted. From Matthew 24:

"12And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold"

Paper and pencil perhaps isn't practical today, but we shouldn't lose sight of the fact that if our dependance on living is only done electronically, it won't be much of a problem to get an assigned number someday in order to continue to do life...666

Just a word to the wise, have some paper and pencils around, just to remember the good ole days.

Keeping it honest and truthful.

K