Old Testament Gods
"Computers are like Old Testament Gods; lots of rules and no mercy."
Joseph Campbell
My laptop has been acting up for days. As a member of the generation who did not grow up with computers, when mine doesn't do something it's supposed to, I'm like a new-born lamb caught in a brier thicket. All I can do is bleat and beg for help. Any twelve year old would probably know exactly what to do, which is doubly humiliating.
I figure the Old Testament Gods are angry with me for the hubris of over-use and under-scanning. Now I must do penance by writing on a tiny tablet that strains my eyes and my patience. Fortunately, there are angels nearby who can set things right. Thank the kinder, gentler Gods for geeks. The great testament to spiritual development is that I haven't had a come-apart and thrown the computer into the back yard. I just went and fetched up the tablet and plugged it in. Sounds sane and reasonable, but for me it represents real progress.
All of us have our challenges--some great, some small, some anything that takes more than three seconds to fix. The Taoists say that we shouldn't allow anything outside ourselves to upset us. A Course in Miracles tells me that nothing external, including my computer, is real; that I simply create it with my perceptions. The Buddhists would suggest that I meditate on the meaning of this glitch, and why it holds so much power over me. The Hindus would instruct me to use my mantra to overcome my agitation. The Bible recommends that I crash my second computer as well, or at the very least, give it away. I think I'll just take it to the geeks and let them pray over it.
Some Mondays are just not worth getting up for. Today, it's cold and raining, my computer is in the tank and a warning light is coming on in my car that I don't know the meaning of. It's setting the stage for a week of Old Testament Gods--rules and rage. I think I'll go back to bed.
In the Spirit,
Jane
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