Technology In Lieu of Common Sense

"Uh-I don't know what happened. I left the keys in the car and I shut the door and it locked.  The car's not supposed to do that."

In my secret non-author identity as a call center advisor, this is my most common call. Be it a dealer or customer, they're always shocked that the car would have the sheer audacity to lock them out. After decades of human evolution when it comes to automobiles and locking the keys inside, you would think that we would have learned, but such is not the case. These so-called smart keys that are supposed to prevent such a situation have spoiled us.

Shockingly, most times they never blame themselves for locking the keys in the car or in the trunk. They're angry and disgruntled, the victim of some form of trickery that the car has played on them. I even had one admit to pulling off on the highway to take a smoke and getting locked out.

Sometimes I just want to ask: What were you doing to get your keys locked in the car? Having a car that doesn't have a smart key, I'm paranoid about getting locked out. I'm always aware of where my keys are when I get out of the car. And if it ever happens, I have a family member with an extra set, just in case. Maybe I'm crazy, but even with technology, I wouldn't want to rely on a machine to save my butt in a jam.

Are we being dumbed down by technology, leaving common sense and our brains by the wayside?
 Are we getting too lazy to think, instead relying on Apps and computers to do it for us?

My grandmother used to carry an address book the size of a Yellow Pages in her purse, which she kept with her until the day she had her final stroke. Everyone from distant relative to close neighbor was listed in that book and she even kept a backup at home. Nowadays all our contacts are stored in our handy dandy smartphones. If your smartphone crashed, would you be able to remember your emergency contacts?

The same goes for driving. I've seen people pitch a fit because their GPS isn't working. I know of people who get directions everyday for their commute. What happens when you can't get directions?
What about something as simple as shopping? Do I really need to whip out my smartphone's calculator to figure out what my discount at Macy's will be?

I'm definitely not against technology, obviously it's there for a reason. But every so often, maybe you might want to warm up those brain cells just to make sure they're working right. It may save you a long wait for roadside because you locked your keys in your car.