Where do young people get their news these days? The Internet. What about research, where do they go? Do they go to libraries? Are you kidding? They go to Wikipedia and it’s all in the Internet.
There was a time when doing business means leaving your brochures with the prospect but today, they ask you: “Where is your web site so I can take a look at the products you are selling?” I feel uneasy every time I leave the house and forget to bring my cell phone with me. Today it’s the same familiar feeling I have in my guts every time I go somewhere and cannot find any WI-FI or Access to the Internet. Popular speaker Dr. Dennis Waitley says: “If you are not on-line, then you will be on the food line.” And somehow this is true. But is the Internet taking over our life? Has the Internet moved us away from quality living? Well….let’s see. Addicts and junkies say, “I am not addicted…I could quit anytime.” I hear the same words coming from people whose laptop are connected to the Net all the time. “I am not addicted to the Internet, I can quit anytime.”
Then I suppose you are brave enough to take the Internet Pledge if you happen to be one of the people I mentioned? The Internet Pledge is a cute material credited to anonymity.
Don’t take this seriously but it does make a lot of sense. So raise up your right hand and repeat after me as you take the Internet Pledge:
1. I will have a cup of coffee in the morning and read my newspaper like I used to, before the Web.
2. I will eat breakfast with a knife and fork and not with one hand typing.
3. I will get dressed before noon.
4. I will make an attempt to clean the house, wash clothes, and plan dinner before even thinking of the Web.
5. I will sit down and write a letter to those unfortunate few friends and family that are Web-deprived.
6. I will call someone on the phone who I cannot contact via the Web.
7. I will read a book…if I still remember how.
8. I will listen to those around me and their needs and stop telling them to turn the TV down so I can hear the music on the Web.
9. I will not be tempted during TV commercials to check for email. I was told that two dogs were walking down the street. Then one dog says to the other, “Wait here a minute, I’ll be right back.” He walks across the street and sniffs this fire hydrant for about a minute, then walks back across the street. The other dog says, “What was that about?” The first dog says, “I was just checking my messages.”
10. I will try and get out of the house at least once a week, if it is necessary or not.
11. I will remember that my bank is not forgiving if I forget to balance my checkbook because I was too busy on the Web.
12. Last, but not least, I will remember that I must go to bed sometime… and the Web will always be there tomorrow!
The whole world today is driven by technology. And it actually is a wonderful world. I love technology but technology is my friend and not my master. The idea is not to shun technology but to use it properly. It is no longer a proud statement to say, “Why, I still do not know how to use email…” You feel like saying, “Hey grandpa, they’ve got sound in movies now you know!”
Use technology and do not let it use you. A lady came to the hospital to visit a friend. She had not been in a hospital for several years and felt very ignorant about all the new technology. A technician followed her onto the elevator, wheeling a large, intimidating looking machine with tubes and wires and dials. “Boy, would I hate to be hooked up to that thing,” she said. “So would I,” replied the technician. “It’s a floor-cleaning machine.” That’s what happens if you are technology challenged.