I don't especially care to mention brand names when I don't profit by doing so, but sometimes it can't be avoided. Such is the case when talking about certain ways in which my idiosyncrasies manifest themselves. One is my use of Netflix. In the days when I went to the old video store, I normally had only to choose one movie at a time (never exceeding three), and had no means to plan beyond the evening I was at the moment procuring entertainment for. All that being the case, it would take me an abnormal amount of time to make a choice. I hesitate to guess a typical elapsed time, but suffice it to say that no ordinary video store patron would need so long.
At the time, it did not occur to me that any other method was desirable, let alone possible. In college, one was thrust upon my awareness in the form of the aforementioned website. One could now receive and watch as many movies as desired, with few limitations. This begins to get into the saying about giving someone enough rope to hang themselves. The indecisiveness and perseverating which was once restricted to the aisles of the video store now abounded in my home throughout all my leisure hours.
This seems to apply to many labor-saving and life-easing advancements of technology. They each create problems to replace the ones that they solve, and sometimes one is left with more problems of greater severity than before. For all of my gratitude regarding such recent developments (which I now cannot imagine doing without), I am frequently at a loss when trying to recall the suffering I endured for lack of them. I do believe I wished for a cell phone on numerous occasions (as it was clear what a blessing they would be in direct application to calamities brought on by lack of communication), but other things would have been a solution in search of a problem. As a young child, trips to the video store or library were like excursions to Shangri-La, and no improvement or alternative seemed desirable or possible.
I can't imagine that others my age think along these lines, and don't know whether this is something to be glad for or to lament.
1 comment:
Dear VOK,
I have had the experience of having a son with habits such as yours. I recall dropping him off at the video store, (a private enterprise which I make a practice of patronizing...down with the big box!) Back to the topic. I would set a certain amount of time, such as 1 hour at which time I would return to pick him up. It was one solution. Further to this, was the summer time when he wanted to go to the bookstore (also a private enterprise.) I had an arrangement for the owner to let him use the phone when he was ready to come home. He is an extremely brilliant young man, thus allowing him to read a find a book to his liking, sit in their book nook in a most comfortable chair and read it in it's entirety, then call to come home. Now, a business such as this bookstore makes no money allowing patrons to do this, but I guess they had a soft spot for a little boy who has such a love for reading.
I won't even go into what it was like when he became old enough to go to the public library by himself!
I'm sure you can relate to this!
With a chuckle,
Frenchie
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