The Rapid Pace of Change

             I was recently talking to a group of insurance agents with a wide mix of ages from their early 30’s to people like me in their 60’s.  I was talking about the process of change and how when I started in the insurance business it was all paper.  Around the mid 70’s the microfiche came on the scene.  It was the most amazing piece of technology where you could see all of your accounts on one piece of equipment, didn’t have to walk to the file cabinet which was often misfiled and search for what you were looking for.  The younger members of the group had this puzzled look on their faces, ‘what is a microfiche?’ was the question.  It hit me that I was talking about the past in terms that those who were younger could not even relate to.

             I was also thinking of my great grandmother Granny who passed away when I was in my early 20’s.  She was a great sage, born in September 1884, moved from Iowa to Wyoming in a covered wagon. In her lifetime she saw the introduction of electricity, the automobile, two "wars to end all wars", the great depression and a man landing on the moon.  Can you conceive of that level of change? 

            The level of change is exponential. It seems like each week in my insurance agency there is another change or addition to the software that we are using.  A new feature, a whole new program, something moved to a new location from where I was used to it being.

            The hardest part for me to process is that I have always prided myself on being able to figure things out. Trouble shooting was a foundational part of my training as an Air Force pilot.  You had to know how to determine what was wrong and then fix it.  I learned solve problems with airplanes, cars were simple enough for me to do most of the repairs, almost everything could be repaired and we had paper manuals to do that.  Now our world is mostly 'throw away' and it is more expensive to fix than it is to just replace it.  Most technology is designed for obsolescence, it is only going to be good for a couple of years so it requires another outlay. 

            The bottom line is that I am increasingly frustrated that I can’t fix it and since I often can’t talk to a person to help me work through the problem I am even more stressed when I can’t get my work done.  The blessing of this process is that it is focusing my thoughts on the fact that me being able to 'fix things' was really an illusion anyway.  I find that fixing things assumes that you are in control and that you have the answers.  Spiritually I clearly don't have the answers.  This frustration with technology has led me to understand and acknowledge that I have tried to fix and control things most of my life. God is inviting me to hear His 'still, small voice' and to allow Him to direct my decisions and choices.