Recently, I found myself reminiscing about times past. If you ever used a rotary phone, you undoubtedly remember the frustration of your mistake at the end if you selected the wrong number. Start over! The first cell phone I saw belonged to my grandmother, although I’m not sure if it would be more appropriate to call it a car phone. It looked more like a house phone, but sure enough, it felt like magic making a call from the car. Going back further, I remember learning DOS and using computers as a child. By the time I got involved, it had gone from what I remember as 16K of RAM to the lightning speed of 256K. I remember when my parents got a computer with 256K; it made me feel like a rock star.
The graphics of my PC games were very clunky, resembling much of the other gaming technology available in the 80’s. Nonetheless, I was completely thrilled with the experience. When you’ve never seen or experienced anything like it on screen, it’s quite a thrill to see. I know it was similar to when the games came out with cameras that observed our movements. There are now also games with controllers that have sensors in them that allow the game to know our movements. It is almost like the game becomes a part of our being. When we do things like pressing buttons or moving a certain way, the game reacts accordingly and displays the results for us to see on.
Anyway, as the years progressed, the 5-1/4” floppy drives disappeared. Right before the 3-1/2” disappeared, I tried a racing game I found from my earlier stash of games. On the newer PC, it operated with crazy speed. My reflexes were not quick enough to react to the hundredth of a second I had to make a turn. After crashing twenty times in a matter of seconds, I realized life progressed into a new world where things could not operate the way they once did, despite my expectations for them to.
Technology has showed that if we don’t change, we will quickly get left behind. Even perfect device with brand new software can be released. Yet it is only a matter of time before changes need to be made and upgrades are made available to keep those devices safe. We upgrade our phones, tablets, computers, and any other device connected to the internet or Bluetooth. Most of the time we are given a choice as to whether we upgrade or not. For those that like to wait until the last minute, they are usually overruled in the end by a forced update. That is when they are through asking what your opinion is and decide, you’re going to get an update… today! Talk about exercising authority!
What if life was like that? When we get too far behind, what if it gave us a little kick? When we get a little too comfortable with the way things are and start to settle, what if it knocked us flat on our rear ends? What if it turned our world upside down? You know what, I think it does. If we don’t move forward in life, it will move us forward. The disruptive thing about it – life never asks for our permission! In addition to upgrading all your devices, upgrade yourself! It’s best to be at the front, pulling life in the direction of your choosing than have it up front, dragging you behind it to a place you don’t want to go.