Modern technology is both a blessing and a curse. Our local newspaper carried an article the other day about our local municipality having received a grant to install security cameras at various locations around the city as a means of crime deterrence. On the one hand, anything that gives a potential troublemaker pause is not a bad thing. On the other hand, we live in a society where the authorities spy and snoop incessantly. We talk much about the right to privacy, but in reality, it is virtually nonexistent in a technological world.
Just this morning the paper contained an article about a man killed by a robot in a factory. During installation, something went wrong with this robot that was supposed to grab parts and move them to the next station. It grabbed the man, pushed him against a wall, crushing him to death. I would dare say THAT piece of technology was a curse to at least one person. And just the other day, my eldest nephew posted on Facebook that he was deleting his account and saying goodbye to social media. If you knew my nephew, you would know what a big step this is. He is Mr. Technology personified, and has been since he was a teenager. But he decided it was wasting too much of his time, so it's sayonara. I give him a lot of credit for recognizing the dark side and going cold turkey.
But there is the blessing side, and it is that for which I am thankful today. I've been working on wiring my garage, and needed to run an underground cable from the house to a subpanel in the woodshed. Son Matt had about 40 feet of underground cable left over from when he wired his shop with 220, I dug the trench, drilled holes through the basement wall and the woodshed sill, and laid the cable. Not being able to claim any semblance to an electrician, I needed to know if the job were done properly, especially where it went through the structures. Alas! My electrical friends Harry and Ken are both in West Virginia at work camp. Text Messaging to the rescue! I snapped a few photos, uploaded them to my message app, added a few questions and sent it all off. Fifteen minutes later, I had a response from Ken. The cable is now buried, and I'm ready for the next step, thanks to technology.
Even more important is being able to keep touch with our granddaughter Alex while she is in Uganda. We received a message from her tonight, just a short note letting us know she's OK and misses us, but it was enough. What a sacrifice it must have been for the parents of missionaries just a couple generations ago, when the only contact was by mail sent by steam packet! Often months or even years would pass before family at home could know anything about what was happening on the field. I am grateful tonight for the technology that keeps in touch loved ones who are half a world away.
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