The Age of Technology

Back in college, thirteen years ago (whoa!), I found myself arguing with my mother why I “needed” to have a mobile phone. I remember having the following arguments:

1. Going to school is a two-hour (with Metro Manila traffic) commute.

2. My classes end late.

3. So that it is easier for me to call home.

4. So that it is easier for her to know where I am.

I won.

My mom, however, didn’t find it easier to contact me.

Today, having a mobile phone is more than a necessity than a luxury. My seven-year old son has one. It is always fully charged and at home so that they (the kids and their nannies) can contact us in case of emergency.

While I’m writing this, I have my five-year old daughter on video chat on Skype, making stories out of the emoticons for me. It somehow turned out to be a modern way of learning how to read and spell for her. She calls me up every single day when she gets home from school.

They say technology has made the world smaller and people are now so much closer to each other. I hope I can say that’s true. My family is still about 7,000 miles away from me, and even if I do get to see them in my laptop every day, they’re not close enough for me to touch them, hug them, kiss them.

But things were worst thirteen years ago when my dad was in the same situation I am now. The cost of hearing the voices of his loved ones overseas once a week came with a hefty price tag. So, who am I to complain?

I hear so many people say long distance relationships don’t work. Maybe it’s a “to each his own” kind of thing. I say, if you are very committed to that relationship, you just have to make use of everything to make things work.

As for me, though I’m nothing close to a digirati, I’ve got technology on my side.

Written on March 5^th, 2010.