As I post this blog, my laptop will be plugged into an ethernet cable.  That’s right, a WIRE.  I say, “will be” because, as I write, I am not currently in contact with the internet in any way, shape, or form.  When it comes time to post this post, I will walk into the next room, plug in and log on.  How PRIMITIVE.  The horror of it all!

All this started with the crashing of a  hard drive on my wife’s computer.  This was no big loss, actually (although we are trying desperately to save the pictures of the last two birthday parties in our household).  That was an old Dell PC that has been around for about six years.  We have built and rebuilt. Duct tape and baling wire were soon to be a part of the equation with that machine.  A few months ago, it was infected by a virus and we were already budgeting for a new Macintosh laptop for her.  No Major loss.  The new computer has been ordered and we can share this one for a few days while we await it’s delivery.  Once the new machine arrives, my wife and I will be even more compatible!

We began to suspect a larger problem,though,  with the untimely demise of the DSL modem that was wired to that computer.  There were about four days in there where we were completely without internet service in our house.   A new modem installed and verified to be running has now led to the revelation that the wireless router has also lost it’s sense of identity (it has ceased to be a router and now thinks it is nothing other than a plastic box).   We have also lost the hard drive on our satellite DVR controller.  We’ve either had a power surge or an incredible run of bad luck.

This whole experience has got me to thinking.  There was a time that we didn’t have all this stuff.  When Stessa and I married, there was no internet.  I had an 8088 machine that I had somehow managed to salvage so I could write my college papers on it.  We didn’t have internet, there was no way to play music on a computer and video was not even a dream on a PC.  Email was not a consideration.  Neither of us even owned a cell phone because those were priced for only the very elite at the time.  Even then, phones were big ol’ clunky things that were mounted into cars by professional installers.

I bought a new computer the first year of seminary (believe it or not, this was only 13 years ago) that had all the modern amenities.   You know... we had a dial up modem and an account with the ISP that allowed for a certain number of minutes of internet use per month.  Email was GREAT!  You could turn on the computer, connect via phone line, and download your email.  Then you shut all that down, read and responded to your emails before logging back on to send your responses.  You didn’t want to stay logged on all of that time because it was cost prohibitive.  You used up your precious online minutes.  Not to mention, it tied up the only phone line you had while you were logged on.  People would get a busy signal if they called.

Stessa and I have been talking about how life has changed just since our marriage.  Our children will never have to live a life where this technology is not readily at their fingertips.  We don’t own Blackberries or iPhones in our house (yet) but I get a sense that by the time our kids are teenagers, the next new technologies will have taken over anyway.

Most of all, I think there is a lesson to be learned by our loss of modern amenities.  It IS possible to live without them.  Sometimes it’s even better.  There was a time, when one got curious that we actually wandered into the community library and looked information up in... wait for it... books.  While it is nice today to be able to pick up the closest computer and “Google” it, we also miss a visit with the librarian and other community folks we might run into at the library. 

Computers aren’t all either.  Not so many decades ago, families were driven by the heat of summer’s dog days onto their front porches where lemonade, conversation, and dominoes were shared each evening until things began to cool off a bit.  Neighbors walked by and joined in conversation.  Children safely played kick the can in the streets.  Today we have been sucked into our homes by the cool air created by our air conditioners.  Dominoes and checker boards are gathering dust in the closet as our interest has turned to television and video games.  We have lost some of our sense of community as a result of our “progress.”  We don’t talk as our ancestors did in this society.

In some ways, it’s great fun.  I have reconnected with a number of high school, college, and seminary friends on Facebook.  I can meet face to face with international friends on Skype.  I can email large numbers of church members by selecting their specific group and moving on.  I can look up each week’s sermon pericope with the click of my mouse.  But what has this done to my being able to connect directly with local folks in community?  Can I really get to know people without face to face, heart to heart conversations?  Can I know people as well, if I can’t share a handshake or a hug each time we meet?

Our world has become much smaller with the advent of the internet.  We can know more people for longer and stay connected easier with people around the world.  I can’t help but wonder, though, are these relationships less meaningful than they once were when people knew each other without the filter of technology between them?