As a freshman at Washington State University, I wrote a column about a new voice-controlled software program called Siri that was being developed. I wrote about how people are too reliant on technology and insinuated that the program, if released for use, would signal the start of technology running the world and result in some form of apocalypse.
Now Siri is being released with the new iPhone 4S, which is the phone I recently purchased and am eagerly awaiting the arrival of. Despite my prior animosity, the inclusion of Siri was one of the deciding factors in my purchase. As the phone representative explained the perks of this program, I was growing excited to use them. But when I saw the name in print, I realized what a hypocrite I was.
I was so close-minded in the past that if I had seen the program name in print before hearing the salesperson explain the advantages, I probably would have chosen a different phone. But because of my ignorance at the time of the program’s name, I viewed it in an entirely different light.
After I realized what had happened, I began to think about applying this mentality to everyday life.
There are situations we face every day that we can be open to, or we can allow our previous judgments to rule our decisions. In some instances, this may not be a bad thing if it is applied from a “learn from your mistakes” standpoint. But some people let their parent’s views, rash first judgments, or uninformed ideas dictate the decisions they make. This can lead to missed opportunities because we are too afraid to approach a foreign idea with an open mind.
The biggest example of this concept is change. Some accept change at every opportunity, but most shy away from what we think we are not ready for or do not need.
We live in a constantly changing society and we need to live our lives openly. This applies especially to technology, but also to new social concepts and radical thought.
Our generation consistently pushes boundaries and makes changes before the old ones have even taken hold. Many of us, myself included, are hesitant to accept the things we do not understand. It may be difficult, but you might be surprised at what you discover by remaining open to the unknown.