What ever did we do?

What ever did we do before the existence of the internet? As I sit at my desk, slaving away, I begin to wonder this very thing. More than half of the applications I use, or the databases I access on an hourly basis, let alone daily basis are web-based. Not to mention the things I do in my free time. Everything -from shopping, locating definitions and answers to blogging. I haven’t reached the point where I have my emails sent to my cellular phone. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t thought about it.

Without the internet, I feel crippled. What if I miss an email? What if I need something? Having high speed internet at my disposal 24/7 has made my dependency just that much worse. I can honestly remember sitting in the High School library -yes High School, thumbing through encyclopedias for reports and other research projects. And as old as I may feel, I haven’t been out of high school even a decade yet. Almost, but not quite.

Now, with lightning speed and precision the whole world is at our fingertips. Literally. I know that with that comes some bad, but the good. The good is GREAT! I sit down every week and fill my time-card out online. My first job ever, you had to write your name on a little blue card index card and use a punch clock to log your hours. Now, with the touch of a button, the computer tallies my hours worked according to my regular schedule, calculates holidays and shows me my leave balance.

What does it feel like to receive a letter in the mail? I honestly can’t remember the last time I received something that personal –aside from greeting cards and announcements. That’s just it. Without trouble, and with incredible speed, one can send an email. Don’t get me wrong, I think having email is the greatest thing since sliced cheese. But there is something great about getting a hand written letter. The emotion, the feelings and the authors personality can be better felt through something written by hand.

As we skip forward into the future, with the technology available, especially as the holidays approach –I want to pose a challenge to everyone, myself especially. A challenge to write that letter, read a good book –borrowed from someone or the library, and take the time to hand deliver a message rather than sending it through email, text or other digital means. As great as the computers of the world are, and the means they provide us to keep in contact with one another, they will never be able to re-create the human interaction that we all need.