Signs, Signs

We live in an amazing world, where advancements in technology have taken away the need to think for ourselves. We rarely have to scratch our heads, when all we must do is just “Google It”. It can be as simple as a recipe or as complicated as planning a schedule for a 10-day trip to some unknown land. The collection of knowledge that is at our fingertips in the form of the internet is just mind-boggling. I had an experience the other day that caused me to ask myself a simple question. Have these advancements rendered some information to be totally useless?

In an effort to find the answers, I quickly realized that our entire culture has developed a habit of jumping to conclusions without finding out the whole story and or, the absolute truth. The classic “A” before “B” has been replaced by new formulas that take the form of predictive index’s, algorithms, and artificial intelligence to name a few. They can give you an answer based on different variables with a relatively small margin of error. The next 20 years will see driverless cars, automated thingamajigs and who knows what else. 

In the world that I work, some things are so obvious, yet we neglect to see beyond our own biases. It takes a jolt or something major before we become aware and decide to do anything about it. It should not take a health crisis to force us into exercise or begin eating right. It should not require upheaval in the financial world to force us to live within our means. There are many examples of good and bad when it comes to planning for our future, that retirement should not arrive with surprises.

There was a time when I took great pride in being able to remember phone numbers, to cook a complicated meal without needing the recipe, and my ability to read a map. A trip required planning, the notation of exits and landmarks and a good ability to follow signs and directions. So, what was this startling experience that jolted these questions? I used the washroom at the hockey game the other night and was disappointed to see that they no longer install urinals in the washrooms. I returned to the concourse and expressed my concerns to my son. He just chuckled and pointed over my shoulder. I had just exited from the women’s room.