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The next update that
cobbler might or might not hear about might be when next clipper arrives in town a month later. Hopefully from same port in Far East and assuming that those onboard were sober enough to have taken note of life around them. It is quite safe to say that events before turn of nineteenth century existed for most in a staggered manner. Declarations of war were made, armies sent, battles fought, surrenders made and hands shaken before news of anything untoward arrived back home.
Yet today this summarizing of world events does not exist. The ability to know everything within five-minutes of it having occurred is readily available to everybody. An ongoing and smooth road takes society from beginning to end without hiccup or falter and as it unfolds.
All this though is so unnecessary and time spent listening, reading and catching up with trends, fashion, news, etc could be better spent. This is where staggered approach has to be enforced and by self-policing can become a part of a good and enjoyable life.
For Example: To go out and buy latest in modern technology requires buyer to be at top of current events and trends. This requires allot of reading and conversations with experts. The machine is then bought and it is at this point that further research, talk and listening can be dispensed with. At point of payment, need for latest information on technology and software becomes superfluous and attention can now be turned to something more worthwhile.
At point of payment it is very important that mind can now accept that from this moment forth it will always fall behind with regard to future innovations and changes. It is necessary that buyer can accept that recent purchase will slowly become obsolete and that his own knowledge will decrease during time that he has that machine.
The buyer has in effect put is first foot up staircase. He has researched, become knowledgeable and wise on subject and made his purchase. There is now a waiting stage, a time lapse where quest for knowledge becomes pointless. For next few years or so buyer can seriously enjoy using his machine for value and output that it can give. It will only be necessary to place another foot on another stair when machine fails: when it is blatantly obvious that it cannot keep up with modern trends or when someone points out that it is from Noah’s Ark. At this point and after three or so years of abstinence magazines can be bought, talks restarted and quest for information can be instigated and again up to point when next machine is bought.
This approach to keeping up with trends can easily be applied to receipt of news. Instead of watching news on television, all day and everyday a half hour summary would do either in morning or evening. The need to have newspapers delivered every morning to be faithfully read before work can be replaced by Sunday edition which suitably summarizes a week’s events. Magazines like Times, or Newsweek become priceless in their ability to subjectively give important news over a month period, without all clutter, useless and unfounded opinions and errors that work through in daily news.
This staggered approach will save money on newspapers, magazines, clothes, and telephone bills. It will give that much needed time for a conversation with wife, a play with children or a beer whilst watching sun go down.
To tackle life like a set of stairs rather than a steep path is only way to accept rate-of-change that exists around us and it would make for a far calmer and more rational human than one that never has time.
Ieuan Dolby is the Author and Webmaster of Seamania . As a Chief Engineer in the Merchant Navy he has sailed the world for fifteen years. Now living in Taiwan he writes about cultures across the globe and life as he sees it.
