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While I was driving home one night, I was stopped at a traffic light and began to imagine what life would be like without the many electronic conveniences we enjoy. Hmm... As a Floridian, we are accustomed to losing power due to tropical storms and hurricanes, which tends to annoy us by living without such things as air conditioning and television, as well as the loss of food maintained in the refrigerator. Schools close in such situations and are often converted to shelters. Other than this, life basically goes on as usual, but what if it turned into a permanent condition? What if some sort of electronic virus infiltrated all of our computers, phones, and other electronic gadgetry, and somehow shut them all done? Our first concern would be whether our military could continue to defend our country effectively, that our hospitals could properly function, and that we could feed the populace adequately. It would be like the premise used in the movie, "The Day the Earth Stood Still," except it would be for an extended period of time. Assuming we could accommodate these situations though, what would life be like without electronics? For starters, you might think that automobile traffic would snarl up as all of our traffic lights would be out of commission. Inevitably, traffic cops would have to be dispatched to key intersections and we would actually get some intelligent traffic control in place (better than the preprogrammed lights). For minor intersections, we would have to start practicing basic driving courtesy again and, God forbid, cooperate with and respect other drivers. I suspect traffic accidents and fatalities would actually go down. So far, so good. If televisions and computers were knocked out, people would be forced to read, write and speak again. Kids would have to come out of their caves and into the sunlight, pick up a ball and get a little exercise and socialize. We would all still be craving some form of entertainment and, because of this, you might see more picnics, concerts in the park, and other civic functions. Attendance at school functions, such as the PTA and SAC, would be stimulated, and parents would become actively involved in the welfare of their children again. Participation in other nonprofit groups would undoubtedly flourish as well. Basically, our socialization skills would improve and we would become more conscious of our civic duties. As mentioned, food would be a problem; we would have to learn to shop more frequently and prepare meals differently, and we would have to learn the lost art of baking and cooking. No doubt, we would miss all of those highly nutritious microwave meals and snacks. "What, no more Hot Pockets??!" We would become healthier as we would have more time for exercise and play games like tennis, golf, softball, or whatever without Wii. This should cause health insurance rates to go down. Since computers would be out of commission, the unemployment rate would go down because we would need more clerical people for such things as filing, typing, preparing graphics, processing orders, etc. Our personal debt would probably go away as we would be unable to process credit cards and, as such, we would be wiser in the use of our cash. Our sex lives would improve as evidenced by the power outages of New York. The only downside is it would probably result in a population explosion if we don't properly promote birth control. Due to a change in our diet and having to be forced to improve our socialization skills, maybe we can finally get people off of drugs like Prozac, Xanax, and Valium. And finally, the cost of living would go down as we are no longer having to pay for all of the electronic luxuries we are accustomed to. All of this illustrates our addiction to electronics and their manipulative powers. Life would be cheaper, more healthy, and perhaps more industrious, but it would certainly not be as fast-paced or complicated than what we are familiar with, but then again, would this be a problem? Maybe the rallying cry would be a variation of John Lennon's song, "Imagine" -
"Imagine no cell phones, it's easy if you try, no PC's or TV's, above us, only sky.
Yes sir, the best thing that could happen to this country is to have a virus that knocked out our technology... Then the light changed, I snapped out of it, and drove home. Such is my Pet Peeve of the Week. Keep the faith! Note: All trademarks both marked and unmarked belong to their respective companies. Copyright © 2009 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.
NEXT UP: "EQUALITY" - Is it a myth or reality in this country?
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FEEDBACK
A J.G. of Minnesota wrote... "A great topic, Tim. Far too many people, the Golden Rule means 'Do unto others before they do unto you.' Long term business success requires ethics, not short-sighted quarterly profits. Likewise with our personal lives; lasting friendships cannot survive looking out for #1. Many colleges are starting to teach more ethics classes. Shouldn't it begin in the home though, by example?" An A.S. of Palm Harbor, Florida wrote... "Vooondabaa!.....Excellente!" An M.B. of Clearwater, Florida wrote... "I loved your essay, and totally agree with your conclusions, but would not agree that all of us know the difference between right and wrong. Many people have never been taught anything at all about ethics or morality. The middle class have always been the banner-carriers of morality, and the middle class is fast disappearing. The lower class has never had much interest in or knowledge of moral rules, and the upper class disdains such rules and does whatever the hell they want to do, buying their way out of any consequences. Also, a much higher percentage of humans than you might realize are sociopaths by nature. In the USA the percentage who qualify for this diagnosis (4%) has been growing dramatically on the west coast (20%), for reasons as yet unknown, though the American Psychological Association has made some educated guesses. Since trends seem to move from west to east in America these days, this is a horrifying development. In my opinion, because most of us are woefully ignorant about mental illness and don't know how to recognize it, and because survival of the most ruthless often rules the day, especially when good men do nothing to stop it, we have also allowed sociopaths and their closest relatives, the narcissists (e.g., Brarack Obama), to obtain most of the positions of real power in our world, with disastrous consequences for all. It's no wonder we're in a mess. Enjoy your sabbatical!" A J.S. of Skidway Lake, Michigan wrote... "This is golden: 'The lesson here is simple: It costs more to follow a path of unethical business practices than to be honest and do what is right.' Not only will it take time and money to do things over the right way, but the company gets a bad reputation. Younger parents do seem to be afraid to discipline their children. There is also a trend to pass along the idea that rules are for other people. Teachers are wailing and wringing hands over the failure of parents to cooperate in enforcing school rules. I loved my children so much that I wanted to give them everything. I also loved them enough not to do so. They earned and saved money babysitting, washing dishes and delivering papers. There is no shame in honest work well done and it helps develop responsibility. A wise friend once said, 'Wanting is good. You'll get over it.'"
HOW WE ARE JUDGED - Pet Peeve - June 9th A J.T. of Michigan wrote... "You've done it again! A home run of an essay! I've forward the essay to all the grand kids, as well as their parents. In the meantime I'm trying to figure out just where I stand. Well done, ol' lad." An R.H. of Camden, Maine wrote... "You wrote 'Unlike intelligence which denotes what a person is capable of doing, character defines what the person will do in fact.' This is exactly what we we're taught in training on hiring people - The 'Can-do Factor' and the 'Will-do Factor'. We have a classic example, great ability but no desire to show up and perform." A J.S. of Skidway Lake, Michigan wrote... "Excellent, Tim. Perceptions can be subjective and very wrong. I chose to shelve my professional career to take care of my family. People who met me at that time in my life saw me as a simple haus frau. They were surprised to find out that I had a college degree and had traveled extensively. This is pretty common for stay at home moms. I think it's important not to accept the labels people try to put on us or to label others. If we don't get to know people better, we can miss knowing someone wonderful." An R.H. of Calgary, Alberta, Canada wrote... "I heartily agree, how you greet people is how you can expect them to treat you. unfortunately suffer from COPD, (Chronic Olfactory Pulmanary Disorder or Emphasema if you will), as a result I breath a special way and purse my lips so that I exhale by blowing out, it gives me a sort of grin and people seeing it think it is a smile and respond with a smile. I have made so many new friend with this method of breathing, which I probably would not have it did I not have this condition. The condition is tiresome and sometimes hospitalising but I seem to get such a genuine pleasing response from new people I meet that in a way it has given me a lot more friends constantly, I am 76 tears of age and new friends are a godsend to me and most of these new friends are invariably Masons or people I help to become Masons and other who don't become Masons but become friends. As my wife has suffered the trauma of helping me recover from six heart attacks and two tachachardia attacks since I was 43 years old she remarks on how friendly people are to me and this rubs on they befriend her. It really is amazing how a disability can help you in your life. I am Secretary of two Masonic Boards and property manager of a Masonic Temple, so I meet a lot of people in these capacities. Your comments are particularly apropos to my continued existence on this earth. And the future happiness to my associates and friends who I meet and make daily, if you could help with a method of remembering names I would appreciate hearing about in person in one of you essays. or personal correspondence. P.S.: I try to read your THE BRYCE IS RIGHT! as often as I can and most of which I agree with, Others so so. but this one is a first rate piece which I can really relate to." An M.B. of Clearwater, Florida wrote... "Tim: Another excellent article on 'How we are Judged'. So very true..."
SHOW ME THE PROOF - Pet Peeve - June 5th An M.O. of New Jersey wrote... "I agree with you totally. People can't do math without a calculator, they can't spell, they don't talk to each other. Even with spell-check spelling is so bad it's hard to understand. Technology has also brought out a lot of perverts." A J.D. of Tampa, Florida wrote... "There's no question to me that the iPhone is the single most amazing piece of technology I've ever purchased, thanks to maps (with traffic indicators), organizing contacts and calls, and apps that make it basically like the technological equivalent of a swiss army knife. I even used a 'level' app when installing a fence and had forgotten my level, and frequently use it as a flashlight at night. But I agree with the premise, that technology is supposed to be a tool to aid productivity. Alas, as is human nature, we're using it to supplant productivity for its entertainment value (i.e., too much time spent on Facebook in lieu of finishing a client's book cover). We're entertainment hogs, pure and simple. And if you count the number of game apps on my iPhone, you'd see I'm not immune." A C.T. of Ottawa, Ontario wrote... "When I was 7, living in England, I had a teacher that told the class that with the advances in automation we would only be working 2 days a week in 40 years. I am now 64 years old and realize that we have created millions of non-productive jobs which are overhead for the real producers. The problem is wealth distribution which is managed by a powerful, and now unnecessary banking system that has too many people drawing an income from interest on money."
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Follow the writings of Palm Harbor resident Tim Bryce, a writer and management consultant who writes commentaries about the times we live in and management concepts. His writings are well known on the Internet and are humorous, educational, and at times controversial. You won't always agree with him, but Tim will definitely get you thinking. Tim is the Managing Director of M. Bryce & Associates (MBA), an international management consulting firm located in Palm Harbor. A seasoned writer, Tim's works have appeared in management and computing publications all over the world. His book, "The IRM Revolution: Blueprint for the 21st Century" made the Top 10 list of management books in Japan. His recent eBook, "THE BRYCE IS RIGHT! Empowering Managers in today's Corporate Culture," has also received critical acclaim. Tim's blogs and "Management Visions" weekly podcast are read and listened to by thousands. For Tim's professional bio, click HERE.
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