March 18, 2013 - Technology and Contact Information

It seems to me that with each passing year people have less and less actual contact information memorized. This includes the information they would need in order to get in touch with their closest friends and families.

Between the conveniences provided using our cell phones and the internet, most people find little to no need for the memorization of any information except for maybe their own phone number and address, that is, if these two items are not already on their business cards or permanently affixed to the side of their vehicle.

This thought had crossed my mind in the past, but what really brought the point home was the fact that I wanted to send some of my friends a post card while I am still deployed. Unfortunately, I realized that an updated address book listing a physical address where my friends could recieve mail has fallen by the wayside. I'm fairly certain that this is true in most cases.

Either way, the technology we posess is a valuable tool, however, we must also think about "the other side of the coin," as one might say. What if you suddenly found that your area was facing a natural disaster, such as the one faced by the survivors of Hurricaine Katrina in the New Orleans, LA area back in August of 2005.

Of course, technology had not advanced as far as it has today at that point, but I wonder how many of those people, once they actually found a telephone that worked, actually had at least one current telephone number to a friend or relative memorized. How many do you have memorized today?

Please don't get panicked and go overboard, but maybe it is time to dust off your trusty little black book, or better yet, start to memorize a few telephone numbers. After all, you do not want to be the guy tying up the line using directory assistance when there at least a thousand scared and impatient people behind you, many of whom will have to do the same.


David H. Troyer
www.davidhtroyer.com
www.amazon.com/author/davidhtroyer

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