So the future. In the future we’re all connected, all the time of course. I’ve carried a Blackberry for a few years now. I disdain those Crackberry addict people, but I probably one of the worst. I’m very fidgety, and I have an interactive distraction right at my fingertips. Since I don’t wear a watch, I check the damn thing constantly, and usually twice in rapid succession because I never remember what time it was on the first check. When herself and I are apart at non-work times, I text her regularly, like a teenager would with his first crush. I need help.
The principal drawback to having that level of connection is that work is always there, seemingly waiting for someone to do it. At my old job it was horrible because every single problem that came across, I could probably fix. Since I’m fidgety, I had to work really hard to ignore the little messages about things being slow or down, and I usually failed. The new job involves the occasional interaction with someone from across the world, so email requests at 2 am aren’t from an insomniac, but from someone really just starting his/her day. It would only be considerate to respond in a timely manner, right?
The person I feel the most bad for, though? My physician. She gets no rest from the tedious. I have the cholesterol levels of a 45-year-old Beef Council member. I went and blood drawn on Thursday afternoon, and since this is the future, just like everyone else, she can work from anywhere. She reviewed my counts and posted an admonishment this afternoon. She probably wanted to get into medicine to help people, not to have to tut-tut me about a health problem I (and rest of the country) should be able to manage without her direct intervention.
Ubiquitous connectivity: making sure people can’t get a break from life’s little annoyances.