Technology and the human connection

I think our dependence on technology has improved our world.  Just yesterday my granddaughter was admitted to hospital with severe pain in her back and abdomen.  At first it was suspected to be gall stones or appendicitis, but with the wonderful technology of a cat scan, they were able to determine it was blisters in her intestines caused by a virus. Also, computers guided the doctors several years ago to correct a heart problem for my husband in a procedure called catheter ablation.  Computers are present in many aspects of our life.  For many years I did the billing at my business by hand.  Once the new owners took over, the first thing they did was install a computer system for billing.  I noticed right away that the customers, the very same customers to whom I had always sent hand written invoices, responded with payment in a more timely manner to the computer generated invoices.  Did they seem to have more authority and importance than the hand written ones?  Perhaps it is an unconscious feeling that once something is entered into a computer, it is the same as carved into stone.

Because of technology I am able to maintain contact with my friends and family in a more convenient way than by writing letters and sending them by "snail mail."  However, I do try to keep in mind how much I enjoy receiving a hand written note, so I still write a few a year.  I think that helps to maintain the "human connection" that we worry about loosing with too much dependence on technology.  ~Nadine