Photo by Markus Winkler from Pexels
I watched a movie with a rural village as the setting. There was no form of technology except for the dilapidated trucks that brought in goods. Everything was done from scratch and not one person in that village owned a car, people owned bicycles though. When it got to the scene where the woman needed to communicate urgently with her lover, I realised that I am privileged.
You see, we don’t know what we have until we lose it and we have no idea what we miss until we find it. My mom told me how my grandpa was one of the richest men in their time. Of course he would be. He dealt in arms and was a licensed supplier to hunters and the government. She explained that mobile phones were rare then, and only landlines in existence. The disadvantage of this was that there was almost no privacy as someone else (in a house of 11 people and extras) could very much be listening in on your conversation.
Then we have those trying to phone abroad, they mostly relied on letters until when the first mobile phone was created. My grandpa was one of the few who could afford it then. What I am trying to say is, comparing then to now, given my person, without technology I would be single for life. I already can’t stand long distance relationships, then throw in the fact that I don’t have an immediate means of communication? I will be a Nun.
In my opinion, technology has made it easier to salvage and keep relationships no matter where in the world one might be. Not just romantic but familial and platonic too. Businesses now thrive on conference calls and online collaborations. Couples can spend hours on video calls thanks to the availability of data. Families can check up on each other without having to wait time. This trumps every other disadvantage to me. Having technology now is better than not at all, doesn’t mean people are always sensible enough to use it right.
If I am given the opportunity to choose the time I was born, it will always be now but just in case, I may also go back to thousands of years ago when Jesus was here and I won’t be born a Nigerian.
