During the heat of the summer, I yank open all 3 windows plus the balcony door of my condo living room to catch any passing breezes. Along with the welcome air, I also gain a cacophony of traffic sounds from my nearby street. A veritable explosion of noises presents itself from cars equipped with thundering bass vibrations, motorcycles revving up during red light stops, plus a whole range of emergency vehicles. This includes firetruck siren screeches, ambulance alternating nee-nah’s, and police car’s distinctive warning alerts.
It’s somewhat difficult to focus while I read my devotions and strain to find peace from within my noisy atmosphere. Mid-morning and evening lend themselves to a quieter environment. I even hear a bird’s song occasionally, bringing joy to my soul. Of course, I could shut the windows and turn on the air conditioner, but that rumbling sound seems even more artificial.
I’ve noticed that the world is full of mechanical beeps, bells, and buzzes. While reading, I hear a familiar sound from the kitchen, the home of my washer and dryer. It makes me ponder if the beep drawing my attention is from one of those machines or my cell phone, printer, or stove alarm. Each is helpful, but at some point, I have to wonder if I’m becoming more robot-like, responding to machines as my masters, telling me what to do.
I become so dependent on their nagging reminders, schedule keepers, or GPS trackers. How often do I actually remember and reason things out for myself? Am I becoming device-dependent?
Don’t get me wrong, I love GPS for guidance in unknown areas. Even if I’ve been there before, with my diminishing memory, I need hefty reinforcement. However, what if my dependence on these helps is partly responsible for that memory demise? How can I exercise this old gray matter if I let a machine do it for me?
Hmm, good question €¦ I’ll have to think about that. Maybe I should set an alarm to remind me.
Dianna
Sharing the Fruit of Maturity
