iLove? no, thank you.

Good morning.

I believe I have some level of healthy relationship with technology and the way it works in my life. Whereas many people become tangled up in their devices to the point where it practically enslaves them, I can easily walk away from mine for a while as needed, or as circumstance dictates.

For years I didn't own a cell phone and I got on perfectly well. In fact the phone I have now is my very first, got it about 3 months ago. Even then I have strict rules for myself, one of which ignited a date cutting me off from any possibility of a relationship in progress (but he was a weirdo anyway, heh heh, a man who runs away from any semblance of life's complexities to discover). I never make or take calls while commuting to and from work (strangers are nosy and listen in); I rarely ever make extended calls while walking down the street, lest I get run over by some driver yakking on her cell phone; I use the phone only when I'm in a private space and safe from traffic and eavesdroppers.

Yesterday I finally bought myself an iPod, the version with a little video screen. The purchase was justified, as I got tired of reading Bertrand Russell or Voltaire all the time on the train and bus, and I've always been a romantic for cities and love having an ambient soundtrack with which to move through it, live in it.

Turns out I underestimated this little gadget's value. iPod introduced me to a world of portable extended aural and visual experiences. Until last night I had no idea how good it is to download news, educational programs, art & culture, and even computer games info to watch and listen to on the go. That's the key to my relationship with technology - it must enrich my life, not replace it. It should be a tool for self betterment in this world, not an escape from it. It must be a means, not an end.

That is - at least from my observation - what too many people, with their Blackberrys and expensive Nokias, fail to realize. You can take your gadget anywhere in the world with you, but in the end, it can never hug you, give you heart advice, sing you a real lullaby, cook you a great dinner, and kiss you goodnight.

Conveyance of friendship and love may travel through your iPod or cell phone to your eyes and ears, but the true sources of that friendship and love are what embraces your soul. And no technological invention in the world can ever replace that.