“Learning to Deal”

            I was admittedly quite skeptical when it came to this course, especially after seeing the title of the required reading!  I have endured countless smart aleck comments regarding the actual “shape” of the earth because of this book.  In the beginning I would just smile and nod and say, “I know, I know”.  Not very far into the semester however, my opinion began to change, and I would say, “Actually it really is flat, believe it or not!”

            How incredible that it took thirty-four long years for me to learn this one really life changing fact.  I have mentioned in previous blogs about being on the receiving end of the dreaded phenomenon called outsourcing.  I was a happy passenger on the “dang foreigners are swooping in and stealing our jobs” train.  This course has opened my eyes to the reality of what was actually happening.  I was too mired in my own frustration to look around and see how truly amazing it was that technology was changing the face of the landscape.

            Although it is still extremely upsetting when you are on the unemployed side of things, I now have a better understanding of the necessity of it all.  Technology is very nearly an unstoppable force.  It is really about who can get the job done the best, in the smallest amount of time, for the least amount of financial burden.  When looked at from a distance, who can really argue with that logic?  Demand, OUR demand, has fueled the fire that has led to the incessant push for such drastic measures.

We live in a world of instant gratification.  We want what we want, when we want it, and not a second later.  We have all dug our own theoretical holes, and the time has come to get in and deal with the repercussions.  We have created this monster that virtually begged for the inevitable solution of things like outsourcing and offshoring.  (Those are actually two distinctly separate things. Another little tidbit I got from this course!)  I am not in any way advocating moving job resources from here in America to other parts of the world, I am however saying that I can see the sense in it from a strictly business standpoint.

I learned a greater respect for technology and the people that fuel its progress.  I gained a deeper appreciation for the luxuries, big and small, that innovation has provided.  I have considered the seemingly outlandish possibility that one day the very machinery we create could grow too powerful to control. What? Yes, I did, I really did!  Nothing is out of the realm of possibilities any longer.  When looking backwards with the extravagance of 20/20 hindsight, it is very easy to see the incredible upward march that has been slowly but steadily progressing toward where we sit today.  Who can say what tomorrow will bring, when all things are considered?

One thing is very clear.  Technology is progressing.  We can either use it to our advantage, or sit stagnant and be trampled under its tidal wave.  Every coin has two sides, and as long as we remember to deal with the negative aspects that go along with the indisputable advantage provided through technology, the progression will continue.  The trick, again, is learning to deal with the changes as they come.