Wherever you go, there you are. That means you are here (there to me), and I am here (there to you). So your here and my here aren’t the same here. But we’re all here and there are a ton of things to which we have been corporately entrusted, regardless of which here-space we might occupy. (Grammarly is having a field day with this.)

The “wherever you go” statement typically refers to a person that runs from his problems in the hopes that a new start in a new place will keep those problems at bay. It rarely works out that way, as most of our problems are brought on by our own selves. Therefore wherever we go, we seem to cart all that baggage with us. Why would any of us do a thing like that?

All that being said, there is no possible way we could ever – even working together – come up with all the answers to the question of “How did we get here?” The question as it is represents a huge box and I’m asking you to take the challenge with me to unpack all the items we can find in it. There will be plenty for all of us, and unless I am mistaken, the contents of the box work like an Artesian spring. We can take whatever we want from it, but what we remove will be quickly replaced by something else.

Truly there is no end to the challenges that continually arise in 21st century life, and there is no shortage of those that have been packed in from decades ago. It would be a huge surprise to know that anyone would disagree with the statement, “Our world is changing more, and at a more rapid pace than we have ever experienced.” The speed itself should be enough to make us gasp, but we seem to like it so much that we are blind to the consequences of it.

On January 9, 2007, Steve Jobs announced the advent of the first iPhone at the MacWorld Convention. About six months later, on June 29, 2007, the first iPhones were released for public consumption. Now in 2019, it is difficult to find many people over the age of 13 without a smartphone of some kind. Since that time there have been other new offerings such as smartphone addiction disorder, smartphone anxiety disorder, smartphone use disorder, and smartphone sleep disorder. In addition to those disorders, we are now aware of other physical problems such as tech-neck, trigger thumb, cell phone elbow, text claw, and others.

There are additional eye problems and we’ve all seen videos of people walking into poles or walls while texting, and it seems there are countless deaths caused by texting while driving. In just over a decade the smartphone it seems has taken over our lives. A man recalled disciplining his then 16-year-old daughter for a repeat offense. Having already been in trouble once, there was no doubt there would be significant consequences the second time around. The father told his daughter to give him her smartphone for the next two weeks. The daughter’s eyes filled with tears and she begged her father, “No! Please take my car instead! Please!”

How did we get here?

Smartphones are just one example, and an easy target when it comes to how technology – however convenient – has not always proven to be the best thing for us as human beings. The bigger picture regarding our smart technology is the price that is being paid in spades in the areas of social interaction and basic communication skills. Don’t think this just applies to children and adolescents. But know that for this population, the cost is already devastating, and unchecked will only get worse.

We won’t solve the world’s problems here today, but I can’t think of a person that I’d rather discuss them with more than you. That will require your interaction. I’m honored that you would take the time to read the posts, and I’m eagerly anticipating your interaction with me and others as well. Your thoughts and opinions are WANTED AND APPRECIATED! You can comment from the menu below.

Mr. H