Who Dies First - My Computer or Me?

It may be the weather, the month, or the simply the amount of work – but it has all piled up again. Too much – too fast – and too full seems the best way to describe the way that life has come at me in this past week. Faithful postings on a Blog have been difficult. Yikes – what happened?

Have you ever felt that way? Has a time come that you need space and freedom? Has the amount of things in your life seemed to double and triple over a short period of time? That happened to me last week and then this week it doubled again. Today I began the day a little earlier and the freedom returned – somewhat. But with each day filling fuller – the answer of getting up earlier is not so good – tomorrow I will begin at 3:00 AM to get done – and the next day will begin at 2:45 AM. By the end of June I suspect that I will not need to sleep at all… work will have taken over completely.

I ran across an interesting article in the Toronto Star over the weekend that made sense in some ways. I had been thinking of the complicated way that life has developed and the amount that is coming my way. Then Mike Musgrove, a writer for The Star stated it for me… He tells the story of a man by the name of Fred Wilson, a venture capitalist, that declared a new kind of Bankruptcy – with his emails. Fred wrote these words… "I am so far behind on email that I am declaring bankruptcy,'' he wrote. "If you've sent me an email (and you aren't my wife, partner, or colleague), you might want to send it again. I am starting over.'' (see reference below)

People that are buried in email are making some radical changes in their lives by either deleting all that they have and not answered – or sometimes taking long breaks from emails altogether. Maybe even getting off the computer for extended periods of time and freeing their lives. They are taking back huge portion of time that is swallowed up by things like email – reading and answering.

They actually click off and delete whole lumps of requests for contact, questions asked and material sent – no matter how important. Yikes.

In the old days when we still ran Windows 98 SE – the one just before the Windows XP – it was not uncommon that our computers would crash. It was likely the software that died because of very limited ability to repair itself or be repaired. It was not uncommon to have some profuse apologizing given in that they had lost your email in that their computer had crashed and they had lost everything. With the newer generation of the computers – both the hardware and the software – this happens far less often. That report now comes back more likely when someone forgets or loses an email communication – caught as guilty.

In those old days of 6 years ago we found relief even though we were frustrated with the loss. Today with the machinery acting as almost reliable 99% of the time – the work just keeps coming – so does the email both good and bad.

Over this past week and into this one the stream to my computer slowed a little – but the outside work didn’t – that is outside of the keyboard. There were many things to look after. I was going to bed tired each night – with a day that was too full. I couldn’t do what I did even one week before.

Thus the title of what I am writing today – “Who Dies First – My computer of Me?”

Notice a few things that are shocking to me. My computer comes first in the title… and that I have come to recognize it as a person… someone that dies. Double yikes.

When my wife and I went to Africa in April she asked a very delicate question as we were packing – “Are you taking it with you?” The “it” she referred to was my pride and joy – my laptop that I have lifted faithfully twice each day for over three years now. She has lowered the computer from its “personage status”(in my mind) to maybe around that of an animal (in her mind) – something like a pet dog. There is a wee bit of jealousy I suspect – at times I spend more time with my machine than with her.

Alida doesn’t put the same emphasis on emails that I do. I understand that we are different. But maybe… that is a problem… hmmm? This past weekend a reality check brought this factor out.

I have come to realize that there are few new addictions evolving now…. “Email addicts”, “Email pass-it-along addicts”, “Junk eMail pass-it-along addicts” – all mixed with the normally important emails that are our connecting link with some of the world out there. Stir this mixture up in your inbox and then take a look – you are loaded each and every day… with way too much. At least I am…

So – if I have been slow to reply, slow to post, or just slow – it has been that life has been rushing by and I had to catch one of its buses to a slower area. Thanks for understanding.

Oh – BTW – a few months ago someone shared an email with me about the newest computer that will make it much easier to get the work done – anywhere. I am including some photos here. It is amazing. The email came from a friend of mine and I would love to be the first to get one… the photo at the beginning of this Blog shows it and the others below…If you would like a larger size photo – just email me.

Enjoy your days and number them with me.

~ Pastor Murray Lincoln ~

“Make it stop, consumers say of emails” by Mike Musgrove http://www.thestar.com/article/217955