Oh for Peace!

Do you remember life before the internet?

I remember at least 30 years without it. The same with mobile phones.

The phones I appreciate, but wish they weren’t so smart. Seeing people on phones when they’re with others is just sad, and I’m guilty of it myself sometimes. I admit it.

As woman having a phone when I’m out makes me feel safer, especially as most of our phone boxes are now book-swap centres.

When I feel uncomfortable with people around me I often take out my phone and pretend to have answered a call. Telling the person exactly where I am and what time I will be back.

Upside/downside

Nothing is perfect. Phones are a great comfort. They’re useful for mapping, sourcing information, and any number of things. As is your computer.

They’re both also one of the worst inventions. We don’t go out and actively seek information – we just do a search. Which is great but the Internet is teeming with false and inaccurate information; including outright lies. Books have to be thoroughly fact checked.

If you think you can’t trust politicians look what the general public do on the internet and you will realise that politicians are far from the worst amongst us. Well most politicians, warmongers and destabilisers excepted.

We don’t talk to each other. We judge complete strangers. We have uninformed opinions, no change there, and opinions based on lies that appear to be fact. People troll.

I’ve nearly moved from believing that most people are decent and kind to “hang on a minute…”. But I never want to be that person.

The Internet is rife with inaccuracy. Overwhelmed by absolute rubbish. Vulnerable to hacking. What you see may not be who is behind it and why they’re trying to spread lies and discontent. Destabilise our societies.

You may think I’m referring to the east/west divide, add scissors around the eastern bloc, and you would be right, except I’m sure we in the west are doing it too.

The Internet has morphed from a blessing to one of the most dangerous weapons in this world.

You could have a live video of any President declaring war. Their face, their voice, and some poor soul could wake up one morning to discover they’ve declared world war three while they were dreaming peacefully.

Then there’s the porn, child porn, sadistic videos, animal cruelty, how to bills a Michael bomb, and on, and on, and on.

Ugh – back to the past

My childhood was childlike. I knew almost nothing of the world and very few people could reach me to hurt me. Okay my family did a pretty thorough job on a 9 year old, but even so, at least I wasn’t vulnerable to millions.

I had real innocence! No worries about fashion and make up aged ten. No bullies reaching into my phone or computer. No trolling. Better eyesight. Fresh air. Interactive games (with real people).

I could go on.

I always try to be balanced and fair, accept the negatives but find more positives, but in this case I can’t.

When airplanes can be made to drop 150 feet without warning by hackers, I wish with all my heart that the Internet and technology of this kind had never been invented.

We aren’t sufficiently evolved.

That my positivity princess crown slight tarnished!

Happy Monday

Deb xx