Technical Difficulties

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I remember "technical difficulties"

we'd experience

when television was "new"

in the 1950s and 60s.

Woe to those

who would experience

such difficulties

in the middle of Gunsmoke,

Bonanza,

or the Ed Sullivan Show

when we were glued

with fascination

to the set.

Technical difficulties

meant difficulties in reception.

They were widely announced

by a snowy screen,

bold image,

annoying sounds.

You'd think as modern

as we are these days

technical difficulties

would be a thing of the past.

Not so.

The more technology

the more technical difficulties

have multiplied

and the bigger

the problems that result.

The older I get and the more I know

the more I value "low tech".

"High tech" is usually a human solution.

The inventor likely did not consider

the full range of consequences.

I am reminded

some are keepers.

Most are not.

Low tech usually means

staying closer

to a solution in Nature.

Those are inventions

to which I choose

to pay very close attention.

The more my fascination

had focused on that Human World,

the less I had allowed Nature

to be my Teacher.

But the Student has returned

and fortunately,

the Teacher is patient.

~~~~

Glinda Crawford, 2011

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~