everything is amazing
I’ve been meaning for some time to link to this video of comedian Louis C.K. when he appeared on Conan O’Brien Show in 2009. He discusses how ‘Everything is amazing right now and nobody’s happy’, which is a hilarious commentary on how fantastic technology is today, and yet how often people spend time bemoaning the tiny inconveniences it brings.
It’s a good reality check, because I’m not immune from being irritated at how long it takes for a device to boot up, or the extra seconds for a web page to load (of course if I didn’t have a million tabs open in my multiple browser windows the computer might run faster!).
Most of us in the Western World have privileged lives, although it’s easy for that fact to slip our frazzled attention in the hurly-burly of everyday high-speed life. Sometimes we need to have a laugh at how irate we get about the simplest things, and learn to cope with the occasional drawbacks of technology with a calmer attitude.
Whenever I get stressed about technology now I think about this video. It usually makes me smile, which allows me to drop my frustration down a notch. That often allows me to tackle and resolve the problem faster, and in a more reasoned fashion too.
Although, there are instances when technology seems intent on deliberately thwarting me and it’s much harder to crack a smile. Taking a break from the computer – even for a short time – and doing something I enjoy, often works wonders.
2 Comments
Jeff
My wife spoke with a friend the other day who is working on a charity that helps Kenyan children who are orphans, living in the trash dumps. The woman came back from a trip there, visibly shaken, and told her own kids all about it.
They listened politely, then complained that their iPods didn’t have enough memory.
So….. yeah.
Maura
As a self-confessed geek, and someone who uses technology all day, every day, I have a lot of sympathy for people frustrated by tech-wrangling.
But yes, sometimes we need to realise that we’ve living science fiction lives and to enjoy it.
And regarding your friend working the charity – she has my respect. It doesn’t go amiss to funnel some of our money into charities like this rather than upgrading our somewhat outdated (*) geek toy.
Remembering that somewhat outdated is cutting edge in many countries!