It was an ordinary day. Just finished reading about a town in the United States where all forms of electronic communication is banned. Town is known as Green Bank, West Virginia. Green Bank is located in Pocahontas County, West Virginia and is home of the Green Bank Observatory which bans any device that might interfere with the observatory's radio telescopes, including cellphones, Wi-Fi routers and iPads. It is the one place in the United States that our government has banned nearly all forms of modern communication. Actually, the nearby town of Green Bank is known as the quietest town in America. People actually have to chat with one another over evening meals at the dinner table. Travel to a restaurant in town and you won't find anyone chatting on a cell phone at their table. No one turns their head away from you in order to send a text or hops on Facebook to call someone an idiot. Sound like Heaven on Earth to me! Is this the best town in America or what? So, how many people live in Green Bank where the air is clean and you can actually enjoy a conversation without being interrupted by a ding or a ring. Well, seems that there aren't many people who can put up without our current technology, since only 180 people live in Green Bank. They do have a bank, a gas station, an elementary school a Dollar General Store and several churches. Why several churches when there are only 180 people who live there? Well, you should know by now that all folks don't believe the same things about religion, so they had to split into several churches instead of just one. But...they decided on the split face to face instead of complaining to one another on social media. One of the local pastors didn't mind that there were no phones in the town and told his wife that if he was needed, the person needing him could tell God and God could tell him. Sound like your type of town? Seems that instant communication has grown to the point where we get annoyed when someone answers their cellphone or responds to an email almost instantly. For me...I have a cell phone, but wouldn't miss it if I didn't have it. Matter of fact I often forget to stick it in my pocket when I leave home and will later get chewed out by just about everyone who had been trying to call me while I didn't have my phone. If I lived in Green Bank I wouldn't have to answer to any of those who can't believe I don't have my phone on me 24 hours a day. And, if I did live in Green Bank I could blame the government for not allowing me to use my phone 24 hours a day. "That darn Government! They made me give up my phone, I could say as I shake my hand in the direction of Washington D.C." At times we make mistakes, but can almost always undo the mistakes. Perhaps you got angry were you worked and told your boss you quit. Or...maybe you got angry at your spouse and said you had enough! Mistakes such as this can usually be undone, but there is no way on earth that you can undo social media, cellphones, 24-hour connectivity, etc. They're here to stay. Now, don't get me wrong. They are a blessing in the hands of the right people, but there are too many that don't know how to hang up, stop pushing the keys, or forgetting to look at the clock. So, after all this complaining...you see why I would love to live in Green Bank. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - I know...I wouldn't be able to share my stories with you if I moved...so I'll stay put! And, you may notice that I forgot to publish this story until late in the day. Just got too involved in something else and forgot to pick up my laptop and add a new story when I usually do.
 |
| The Green Bank Observatory |
No comments:
Post a Comment