I’m constantly amazed by our capacity for ingenuity. My mother sent me this video which for me is testament to what we can achieve.
I find it a really beautiful machine. Totally useless as far as I can tell -- but beautiful nonetheless.
Musings On A Laptop
I bought a new laptop last week and am still getting used to it. It’s a replacement for my well used and much appreciated old one. When I say ‘old’ I mean it had just turned 2 years. The sparkling new one is twice as fast, twice the memory, double the gadgets and I paid less money.
And it got me thinking about all the wonderful things to celebrate that were born from our ingenuity -- I’m just surrounded by examples.
I pick up a little black box I call my mobile phone, press a few buttons and talk to someone on the other side of the world almost as clearly as though they were in the next room.
I switch on the TV and see actual images from all over the world and beyond, side by side with fantastical images of amazing creativity -- I’m thinking of political broadcasts here 
I look out of the window and see huge buildings that seem to defy gravity.
I get on a machine that flies through the air and in a matter of hours can be pretty much anywhere in the world.
I can see pictures taken of far away galaxies of unimaginable size and beauty.
We’ve invented machines that can see inside the human body and chemicals that boost our immune system and heal diseases that were fatal to our ancestors.
I could go on and on …
On the other hand …
We produce things that kill, destroy, pollute and poison.
I find it important to remember these things while we pat ourselves on the back for everything we’ve achieved. Our ingenuity is truly a cause for celebration and I look forward to the day when we can also fully celebrate our compassion for each other and care for the world we live in.
