BETWEEN THE LINES: The challenge of balancing technology

Technology has drastically changed our culture, mostly for the better. However, I see a growing problem, particularly with our nation’s youth, that concerns me greatly. Never have I seen an invention capture the imagination like the cell phone. It has virtually changed the way people communicate with each another.

Who would have thought back in the 1950s that the phone I dialed would have such capabilities? To think my generation was so impressed when direct long-distance dialing took the place of calling an operator; it just goes to show how far our society has come.

Most of the advances have occurred during the last decade.

A phone that can take pictures — are you kidding me?

Last week I attended a two-hour seminar showing me how to use the new phone I purchased. As most parents know, our children always get the good stuff before the adults.

Is there something wrong with that? Apparently not.

The instructor that day was giving a quick overview of the phone’s capabilities.   I felt like I was back in my high school Spanish class, where I was always a couple of steps behind the teacher. I learned back in those days that I was a slow processor. Father Time has changed little on that front during my lifetime. To my credit, I have never allowed it to bother me nor, more important, keep me from moving forward.

I learn what I think I need to know. No more, no less because I value time.  There is so much to do in life and so little time to do it.

Since I have returned to teaching, I have grown increasingly concerned. Never in my lifetime have I seen a hand-held invention dominate people’s lives like the cell phone. It is not something that students do just some of the time — it has become their entire world.

Current events — who cares? Concern about world issues — not interested.  With all that technology available to them, they have become the least-informed generation in history. There appears to be no one setting boundaries, with rare exceptions.

I was having a conversation with one of my neighbors before Sunday school last week and the subject came up.

She was relating a story about her grandson’s cell-phone use. It seems her daughter had asked her son if he was text messaging after 10 p.m. When the son waffled on his answer, the mother decided to call her cell-phone provider to prohibit texting after that time.

The fact that text messaging could be blocked that way was news to me. Since I try to learn a new thing each day, my quota was satisfied.

My fellow Sunday school classmate completed her story by telling me she and her husband decided to use the occasion to buy their grandson an e-book reader as an alternative to texting.

To their delight, he took to it with the same fervor he felt for his cell phone.   Their grandson takes great pride in his new Kindle, and is highly protective of it around his friends.

How innovative is that, to solve the problems created by technology with more technology?

So the moral of the story is this: If one is going to change the world, they must join in and not just stand still and watch it go by. Every generation has its unique set of problems.

It is how we handle them that ultimately determines our fate.

Laughlin is a Christian Libertarian. He is an economist, teacher, father, husband and most recently a grandfather. He has written a weekly column for The Tribune for 12 years. He and his wife Gina reside in Meadowlakes. To contact him, e-mail ablaughlin@nctv.com. He is an independent columnist, not a staff member, and his views do not necessarily reflect those of The Tribune or its parent company.