Numbers

If
you listen to various newspaper and television media types,
our lives are so much better than they were back in the
‘good old days’. These so-called ‘good old days’ were not
all that long ago. In most cases they are referring to
events and conditions throughout our country back in the
50’s and 60’s.



While this may certainly be true in many ways such as
advances in medicine, travel and other forms of modern day
technology. I take issue with the declaration that we have
it so much easier today than we did, say 50 years ago.



Particularly in one regard.



Numbers.



No, not just the fact that we have numbers, but the number
of numbers that we are required to now have.



Let me explain. When I was a kid growing up in the 50’s our
number requirement was fairly limited to the following: our
home phone (no area codes) our grandmothers home phone (no
area codes) our home address (no zip codes) and. …well that
was just about it. I’m wracking my brain to think of
anything else, but nothing comes to mind. Oh, wait there is
one other that was very important…. the combination to my
locker at school.



So, here we are 50 years later, with more technology than
the law will allow and what happens? We are all swamped by
an unbelievable need for our memorization of multiple
numbers just to exist on a daily basis. All of us have to
memorize our social security number, our dates of birth in
numerical order for our style as well as the European style.
We can’t get into our houses without having a code for the
alarm system to turn it on or off. Our cars now have a code
to open the doors. This is one I manage to forget most of
the time.



We have cell phone numbers, speed dial numbers, fax numbers,
pager numbers, PIN numbers, password numbers, user numbers,
account numbers, television channel and cable numbers,
credit card numbers, expiration date numbers and so on and
so on. The list seems to be endless.



Most of us can’t possibly remember all of the numbers we’ve
used for whatever need we have so we make ourselves a little
cheat sheet and keep it hidden somewhere to refer back to on
a daily basis. Then we get paranoid about anyone finding
this vital part of our lives and we hide it so no one can
find it, which then results in our hiding it so good we
forget where we hid it. Then we fly into a fear and panic
attack thinking that burglars and or identify thieves have
descended upon us like a plague. Which I’m sure they do in
more cases than I’d like to think about.



So we’re reduced to trying to remember in our little brains
such things as ‘your favorite pet’s name’ or some stupid
combination of 5 letters and 3 numbers, which makes
absolutely no sense at all. Who, in their right mind, ever
named their dog Rover406?



How am I supposed to keep track of all of these? If your
Mother’s maiden name was Heighenberger or Smitherson, how do
you reduce this down so you can remember what part you used
and what part you didn’t use? There are just so many spaces
on the line provided for your use.



There are web sites, which are designed to help you out by
collecting and inventorying all of your secret numbers and
passwords. I don’t trust any of them since how do I know
there isn’t some guy over somewhere looking to see what I’ve
written down and use it against me? I hold the same thoughts
when it comes to slot machines in Vegas. I like the old ones
with the spinning wheels, not the modern electronic ones.
Don’t ask me why, just accept that I do.



I have this theory about why this is causing all of us so
much stress. I happen to believe in Creation, not evolution,
but it really makes little difference when it comes to
overtaxing our human brain capacity with too much
information. Our brains just have not caught up with our
requirements to store all of the numerical data that we
carry around with us on a daily basis just to survive.



I’m thinking we may be tinkering with disaster and really
messing with Mother Nature when it comes to this. Think
about it, If God had intended for us to count higher than
20, why don’t we have more fingers and toes?