What if we call out nonsense and make things simple?
Fourteen years ago, Netflix shipped me the wrong DVD as I only switched to streaming in 2008. And being location independent today, I have no fixed address or a DVD player.
Did you know that Netflix actually split its DVD service off from its streaming service in 2011? It now operates under its own website.
The light bulb made day into night and night into day. All of a sudden we created night shifts and insomnia.
The fax machine made sharing documents simple, immediate, and sped up our productivity and efficiency.
The laptop and the smartphone, with Internet connection and electric power, allow us to work from anywhere, any time. And video let’s us meet face-to-face in real time.
Japan introduced the world’s first humanness warehouse in 2018. AI and robots became an answer for the shrinking labor force. The Henn na, or Strange hotel, made headlines when it opened in 2015. The Guinness Book of World Records recognized it as the world’s first robot hotel. However, more than half of the hotel’s 243 droids have reportedly been fired as they were creating more work.
Alexa and Siri, for some, now answer questions; saving time and providing direct access to information. But scientists are discovering that voice assistants can impede empathy, compassion, critical thinking and learning skills, especially among children.
While the belief is that technologies disrupt life as we know it, it is us who choose to be willing or unwilling to be disrupted. Some technologies can bring incredible freedom as long as we don’t give away our power. And this is exactly where the rub is.
Technology is an enabler when we’re in our power. It can help us stay connected with people or a GPS can be life changing for some of us when we’re navigating roads and highways.
We are the only ones who can create boundaries and integrate what is valuable into our lives. We can choose a complex or simple existence.
Some people still want to receive DVDs in the mail and it doesn’t make anyone a dinosaur. It’s a preference.
The question is what’s important to us? What lifestyle suits our deepest passions? What technologies make sense to us?
We don’t really know until we experiment. An ad can entice us to try a new product or service. We may read all the reviews of other people’s experiences. But we don’t really know what they like. And because of the influencer craze, so many trust strangers with personal life decisions. But when we bring this new product into our life, it may not live up to its promise. It may not be for us.
Until we try anything in life—a job, relationship, travel, community, neighborhood, restaurant, insurance, toothpaste—we don’t know how anything will turn out. It’s that simple. Discernment is in our hands.
But how do we know what’s healthy for us unless we trek into the unknown and explore our hearts? Can simplicity become our next disruption? Imagine having less to do and more to experience!