Today’s technologies allow us to get everything that we want in an instant.
We no longer have to wait for what we need or want; instead it can be obtained in seconds.
So is this really helping humans appreciate what we are gifted, or is it just reinforcing the idea of instant gratification.
The days of long torturous preparation for a delicious meal are waded away with hot pockets, easy mac, and pizza rolls. We no longer have to plan our day ahead of time, but instead live every second in the moment.
I think this ideal should change; we should start appreciating what we receive. Enter the new age of snail mail instead of e-mail, film instead of digital.
The best feeling in the world is getting a piece of mail or just a package, from someone that has been thinking of you. Brownies, a love letter, a mixed tap, all these could be in your possession through snail mail.
It is not quite the same receiving the same letter or music download over the Internet. Yes you get it all at once, and all in once piece, but what is the joy of the expected?
Totally unexpected, because of the unreliability of the United States Postal Service, packages ensue moments of nostalgia.
Photographs also thrive as a physical piece of our lives, bringing back memories of our yesterdays. Today we look at photos on a computer screen, instead of flipping through albums.
Backlight screens are the source of material to our minds, not a piece of paper that lives independently. But I would not disregard the instance when Polaroid came out with instant film, it was still a great innovation. The art of developing film and producing a picture has been degraded into flash drives and memory sticks. We now are able to take multiple pictures, write and rewrite many excerpts til its perfect, unlike trying to be perfect first.
We do not appreciate the beauty of the unknown. I know for a fact that perfect is not always the best. I have seen it through the holgas, dianas, and polaroids.
I have also witnessed this from the letters from a long lost girl who sends me the best postcards ever. They are the best because it is what she truly thinks, what we have already gone through, not just a hallmark card with a standard message. All these have a lot more meaning and worth more then just the monetary tags put on them.
Moments that bring you back, make you think, it’s ultimately a piece of history. A physical piece that cannot be taken back, not like the retractable emails and messages of today. An ex-girlfriend will not delete your Facebook wall posts, or messages if you made her mad, but it is a message that thrives. You won’t be worried about a virus attack because photographs that will not become corrupt in an instant. The technology of today allows for the instant gain and the instant loss of our valuables.
But while there is certainly a room for instant services, that room is just not in you personal life.
Messages that need to be sent and received instantly for project updates or invitations to a once in a lifetime opportunity. A quick snapshot is great if you just happen to see a celebrity or a long lost friend. I’m not saying that “instant” is bad, I do eat pizza rolls and I do watch Hulu.com. I also get enjoyment watching the Office or ESPN360.com when I missed an episode or game. Waiting for reruns is a thing of the past- I love watching these on my terms. But there are times when a surprise is exactly what you need to mix things up.
The message is clear. Don’t always rely on the technologies of today and the quickness of it.
Instead enjoy the unknown, the slow, the old. There are times where you should leverage yourself with the technologies of today, but realize that these have little worth, little meaning.
Read a newspaper, not just online news. Go out and talk to your friends instead of sitting in your room and chatting over instant messaging. Go out and enjoy a run, don’t just fall for the next diet fad of only eating maple syrup. There are many things that you can enjoy today that were enjoyed in the past. You do not need to be efficient when you are having the time of your life.