I've said this before and I don't mind saying it again. There
are times when I am convinced that technology, which is supposed
to help us put our lives in order, confuses us far more than it
straightens out our crooked little minds.
I became aware of this for the millionth time yesterday when my
computer engineer came over to help me synchronise a new gadget
with my desktop. (A hand held PC). He took one look at the mess
of wires sticking out from behind the computer table and offered
to straighten it all out for me. I thought why not, it wont take
more than about fifteen minutes. Believe me, the clean up
operation took Jamshed more than one and a half hours and
Jamshed is QUICK and organised, himself!
When he pulled out the work table and I actually SAW the tangle
of black wires I almost fainted. You know how it is. There is
what they call the CPU, and various things like the mother board
(why not father or Uncle board, actually?) and there is the
monitor, and the UPS and the modem and the stereo speakers and
and and ... Each of those separate objects comes with its own
heap of wires which get tangled up in each other so in the end
you have no clue as to where one begins and the other ends, and
it all somehow looks like the messed up thoughts in a giant
messed up human head.
Well J. began sorting out the wires very patiently, to do which
he had to unplug each device, one by one. While he was doing
this, I had the eerie and totally mad fantasy (hello paranoia!)
of the bloke taking advantage of my dazed status and blinking
eyes to quietly and smilingly walk away with the whole damn
equipment, leaving me feeling like Dr. Livingstone being caught
and dragged off to its den, by a stately lion (though, Dr. L.
did manage to shake himself free from the beast's mouth and
crawl off to safety.) I imagined my entire computer and the
associated paraphernalia being walked out like an obedient dog,
and me sitting there sucking my thumb and robbed of the source
of my primary addiction.
Then I went on to more practical things and asked myself the
inevitable question - which I have asked myself at least a
thousand times before: if something like this impossible
scenario were to really unfold, if my comp and all that was
associated with it were to disappear overnight due to whatever
... earthquake, floods, theft, what would happen? The answer was
- nothing. Nothing would happen. Or then again, left without ANY
source of diversion (I have given up the usual people associated
diversions for a long time now) maybe I would become truly
enlightened.
Well, I didn't get enlightened yesterday evening. J. finished
his work like a good boy and three hours after he had arrived,
packed his bag and got ready to go, leaving my work table
looking spic and span. Not before wishing me Happy Diwali with a
firm handshake, though, and offering to bring me home cooked
Biryani in the coming week when his family would be celebrating
Id.
Check out Uma's blog:
www.laidbackrebel.blogspot.com
About the author:
Uma is a writer and psychotherapist. Her book "Bombay to
Eternity - Memoirs of a Laidback Rebel" was published by Penguin
Books (India) in 2004. She has worked in various fields ranging
from advertising to environmental conservation and teaching deaf
children and adults. She is currently engaged in networking with
people interested in the development of community spirit -
across the boundaries of time and space.
