Frederick to the Rescue

I can’t wait to read books to my grandson, Finley. He’ll be almost 15 months old when I see him this weekend. Sure, I’ve read books to him before, but he’s starting to understand words now, so the thrill of reading to an infant is again kindling within me, as it did when Dan and Ellie were young.

One of their favorite books, as well as Gilda’s and mine, was Frederick, by Leo Lionni. It tells the story of five field mice. While four of them gather food for the winter, Frederick seems to be shirking responsibility, idly sitting on a rock and seemingly dreaming the fall days away. Chastised by his friends, Frederick says he is working. He’s gathering words and images, colors and memories to cheer and warm them through the long winter ahead. And so he did when their world turned grey and cold.

It’s a beautiful book whose message of an individual’s contributions to a society have taken on added meaning during a time when technology has seemingly invaded and assaulted our private moments, be it technology that links us to friends and family or, more ominously, technology that tethers us 24/7 to the workplace.

Last Saturday night at dinner in a New York City restaurant, a couple sat next to us. To the right of her place setting, the woman’s smartphone rested on the corner of the table. How fortunate, I thought to myself, that I am not part of a relationship where my partner values constant connectivity to a machine more than to me.

Sunday’s Business section of the NY Times carried a story—”Who’s the Boss, You or Your Gadget?”—on the phenomenon of media/communications intrusions into personal lives. The story was illustrated with a picture of a mother and father interacting with their newborn daughter. The mother holds the fingers of her child with one hand; her other hand holds a smartphone (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/06/business/06limits.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=mickey%20meece&st=cse).

Perhaps it’s a good thing I retired 19 months ago. I’m not sure I could adapt to the demands of the new marketplace, a region where perspective takes a back seat to immediacy, where deliberation is outweighed by speed, where success is measured more by how many decisions one can make in a day rather than by how many correct decisions one makes.

For all its good, CNN and the 24-hour news cycle perhaps was the jumping off point for a world of non-stop action. Of course, we had all-news-all-the-time radio stations before CNN, but they were local, not national, much less international, in scope and impact. CNN and its derivatives required, nay, demanded, instant analysis. The storyline could change from hour to hour. If you were not connected, especially on the financial news stations, you could be left less informed, or worse, misinformed.

I’m not against technology. I’m against its usurpation of the time to think, the time to reflect, to absorb meaning from our surroundings. Sure it’s nice to bridge vast distances to engage with relatives and friends via Skype or email or text messages. But why need it be at the expense of comrades sitting across a table from you? Is commerce so rickety these days that it is dependent on immediate response during time we traditionally set aside for family and personal satisfaction? Are our pleasures destined to forever be interrupted by electronic impulses?

“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy,” the proverb warned. Perhaps not dull. Perhaps more financially successful. Probably less compleat and more one-dimensional.


(By serendipidous coincidence, I received the accompanying link today from my friend, Milton. He turns out to be my version of Frederick. Follow the instructions. Enjoy! http://blog.stixblog.com/2010/02/12/sending-you-some-spring/)