Swiss Army Phone!

I am having a 3:00 a.m. moment of clarity. Yesterday, I couldn't find a screwdriver for a project I was working on. I resorted to pulling a (Swiss Army-like) knife out of the kitchen drawer. It did the job and I admired my Macgyver/Tool Man Tim success. A smart phone is a modern-day Swiss Army knife! I can map a trip, whip out a flashlight, see the weather forecast, pull up recipes, utilize a magnifier, get the Sunday golf results and (oh yeah) make a phone call all from my living room chair holding a light as air, rectangular, glossy, metallic looking device. That's just a glimpse into what I can do on my phone. I didn't mention the entertainment value. The word "value" may be disputed by some (even me in a former life). All in moderation. I find my phone is something my daughter and I play with together. She gets to feel important navigating through the menus and choosing things she is familiar with (often educational). Pictures are fun to share and receive. Music sparks memories of yester year and has me doing Karaoke in strange places.

I don't want a planet where personalism is lost. I really don't! I have a friend who I am working with on a world-changing project. She is a very grounded person. Despite the speed at which her life moves (with teenagers, work and a myriad of responsibilities), she manages to keep things in perspective and strive for a mindful existence. We text each other almost every day. We are essentially journaling back and forth. We edit our thoughts to the degree that we try to be thoughtful of people we struggle to understand. We also avoid giving any details about our personal relationships. We build each other up at every turn and I think I can speak for her in saying that we both feel honored to be witnesses to a life well-lived.

I love to write. I always have. I may be doing too much writing and not enough living. That is possible. But what seems far more likely (for me- I can only speak for me) is that I am constantly nurturing this curious animal that wriggles about in my brain. Much of the thinking I do takes form in my smart phone; eating lunch, waiting in line, during commercials, etc. I have also reignited the flame of reading in my life. I bought a book :) and I am reading a beautiful blog about living and loving while experiencing pain.

Finally, I feel the exchange of information is invaluable. Is it always necessary and do we get caught up in learning information we don't need to know? Of course. There are pitfalls, obviously. When we take on technology, we are responsible for doing so with the good of human kind in mind. There needs to be an ongoing discussion on where the scale gets tipped too far and technology replaces the vital connections we have with other humans. But, I am encouraged by the use of media and technology in movements that are creating change today. Now THAT's a knife!