Public Institution Prefers to Fight "Brush-Fires" Rather Than Try "Preventative Medicine".

Hi Dr. Gurr-

I'm doing well. The world ... well, it isn't.

As for my campaign to teach people computers, I've more or less stopped, for the same reasons that everyone doesn't know how or why a automobile starts/run/moves/etc. People expect computers to work just like they expect a car/bus/truck/SUV to get them to work every morning.

It has been interesting to see my father (a once confirmed computer-phobic) start to understand the importance of a computer hooked to the Internet. As compared to my generation and younger who inherently know and accept technology, my father had always been skeptical for the need. Now, on his journey to find out his genealogy, a computer allows him to retrieve information faster than actually driving. But the ultimate question now is: What to do with the time he saves by not driving to Montana and looking for clues to his grandfather? I just get to smile.

My lesson learned (from the public sector point of view) is that [people in the public sector view] preventative medicine [as costing] too much and takes too much time, so therefore it is more valuable to put out the "forest fires" of immediate problems and not concern yourself with the future ("cause that is someone else's problem!!").

The best way to be convincing is to show your audience that whatever you have to offer is better than all of the other alternatives. In the public sector, your opinion means mostly nothing unless you are a manager.

Consequently, I have taken the approach that computers are tools, tools to get a job done quicker and easier than ever before. My fear is that using such tools will destroy many of our current definitions of living.

So, I ponder what will become of the human race on this death spiral towards technology. Paradigms will and must shift, but will we (or I) become better for it? The most disturbing (and ultimately frightening) question: Is humanity just another paradigm that will shift? And to what?

Sam Hillaire
Email: shillaire__csuchico.edu