PERSPECTIVES

A Moment of Reflection While Living in an On-Demand World
By Anne Herreria, January 2007

I was first in line at the post office just before Christmas. It wasn’t intentional, but I thought if I stopped by before work there would be less of a crowd than any other time during the day. I’d lugged three packages and all of my Christmas cards with me, so I decided to wait the 15 minutes until it opened and savor a few quiet moments amid the holiday rush. I’m a working Mom, so a few moments without anyone tugging on my legs (at home) or being as efficient and productive as possible (at work) are rare. In this world of everything-on-demand, all I could do was rub hand lotion on my wintered hands and look around at the oddities of this old postal building: mahogany wood doors, watercolors of early California farms, and the simple bars across each service window that would soon be opened for business.  It was old school, no doubt, and it took me back to my childhood and the “cookie bank” in a small Northeastern town where I joyfully indulged in a chocolate chip cookie and orange drink while my mother stood in line to make a deposit or withdrawal. I saw a poster touting “convenient at home pickup” at the click of a mouse for shipping holiday packages and thought, will my kids ever know the inside of a post office, bank or even retail store?

From iPods to the iPhone, ticket-less travel to DVRs and digital cameras, technology has made the world we live in smaller, more connected, more convenient, and, well, somewhat scary at times. And the pace of change is unprecedented—when I was a child all that seemed to separate us from our parents’ generation was the invention of TV and the gradual transition from records to cassette tapes to CDs. Now, you can’t keep a camera for more than a couple of years or the batteries will be outdated! 

I live in Silicon Valley and have worked in high technology for the past 15 years—and yes, it excites me to see firsthand how technology companies are truly impacting daily life. At Kulesa PR we have the opportunity to work with emerging companies offering breakthrough technologies and put them on the map. Sure I like shopping online or not having to pull over to ask for directions as much as anyone else. Yet, when my two preschoolers demand to see their favorite show any time of day or enjoy (with me) the instant gratification of digital pictures, I wonder if we’re somehow taking something away. With all these conveniences, how will they learn patience or desire, or even how to take a little time off?

In this hectic world it’s my kids that ground me. Maybe that’s why I haven’t rushed out to buy their first computer games or (gasp!) PlayStation3. Am I a hypocrite for loving all things wireless and digital and Tivo (every parent’s best friend) yet resisting the day when these sweet little boys ask for their first Nintendo? Ten years ago you’d have to leave the country to truly unplug on a vacation. Today that’s not even good enough! CNN and international cell phones will follow you, if you let them.  You have to make a conscious effort to disconnect. And I believe it’s very important to maintain a balance in life, and get refreshed so you can be at your best when you return.

As far as the kids go, I’m going to enjoy this time of playful adventures at the park and books you can hold in your hand for as long as I can. I guess I can look at it this way: at least I’ll be able to track them with the latest GPS technology when they are teenagers!