Monday, May 5, 2008

On Getting Lost




One of my friends calls it "Annabell," one calls it "the British lady," another calls it "dear," to tease his wife. And while I think my life would be a hundred thousand times simpler if I had a GPS, I'm going to have sour grapes for a moment and complain about them.


First, where is the delight and surprise of existence (which includes getting lost)? The greatest joys we experience we cannot plan for.


Second, it's just such a shame that we are able to spend all amounts of time and energy in developing, marketing and purchasing tools for the minute management of our lives. It makes it all too easy to forget that many women in Africa spend all of their time attempting to gather sufficient amounts of clean water for their families.


Third, GPS seem to me to be part and parcel of the tendency we have to want to live forever--to overcome our imperfections and make things function without hitch. This is a very dangerous urge, as far as I can tell.

No comments: