Hijacking Your Mind

Computer operating systems are complicated (the unseen magic they do is appreciably complex, regardless of one's personal prejudices for STYLE--saying that this or that operating system is THE penultimate solution is the height of naivety, IMHO...just as saying something like: "X-brand CHOCOLATE RIPPLE DELIGHT is the best dessert ever made" is a patently ridiculous assertion [I'm sure people who are allergic to chocolate DON'T share the opinion]).

But the ever-present temptation to declare one OS/one school-of-thought/one methodology superior to all others when all are equally INCOMPLETE is a fairly fascist way of thinking.

I recently had the annoying problem of having a computer DIE after only 8 months of active service...and lost everything. OK, so I didn't REALLY lose EVERYTHING. But that is only because I have learned over the years to maintain a fairly extensive collection of external data repositories...meaning that I make a habit of keeping more copies of data in more independent locations than most people would think is necessary.

Most people would also consider this behavior to be a bit obsessive. But then again, I have more experience than most people credit me...I also have more to LOSE.

For example, even though I mention fairly often that I have an extremely disabling lifetime-disease (Multiple Sclerosis), I find that I still need to remind people with whom I speak weekly...if not daily. The result is that I frequently sound like a broken record...but the benefit is that I don't get tripped-up nearly so often as I could be.

Still, I find that people want to think for me ALL THE TIME. So I must practice a fair amount of stubbornness with regard to methods that work best for ME.

The problem is that we seem to be living in a culture where patronizing less-able people has become synonymous with helping them. One of the results is that ostensibly unchanging computer operating environments are in constant turmoil.

This is akin to a child's game where the rules keep changing to the immediate advantage of one particularly impetuous kid (also known as: "it's my game...shut up or I'll take it home!".)

There's no equitable solution to the situation, as ANY parent can tell you. And though we'd like to say "Mr. XXXXX, you are NOT welcome here anymore. Go home!!!", the truth is that automation has literally hijacked a portion of our better judgment.

I wonder just how much stress in the world is now attributable to the fascist thinking of just a few derelict minds.