What are the two most important things you think you can’t live without in the 21st century? Maybe you have more than two. What are they? The number is not important. What’s important is whether you have ever thought about this so far in your life and whether you can give an honest answer to yourself. The way you answer yourself and the answer itself will determine how you’re gonna live your life in the 21st century. Realize that everyone’s answer is different and unique to his/her own circumstances. This difference in the answers, too, is not important. The important thing is whether you have the answer for yourself or not. This is going to affect how we’re gonna live our life from now on and explain why we’re living the way we are now (if you have already given yourself the answer).

So, what are the (two) most important things you think you can’t live without in your 21st-century life? Your money? Your spouse? Your career? Your parents? Your children? Your brain? Your sexy body? … etc.

Over the past 2 days …

I was sick. I mean I fell ill on bed. I got a fever. You say, “Oh, everybody got that during winter time. What’s so special to blog about it?” Well, read on. Do not be quick to judge. The process is more important than the result/conclusion.

OK. So, initially, I thought I could handle it. I mean I thought my body mechanism can defend me and kill all the germs or virus circulating in body. I thought I was strong enough to defend myself. Usually I get to be sick once a year. Yes, once a year, compared to others who seem to get sick pretty frequently. Actually, I should say, from time to time, I do catch some germs or virus from someone or somewhere, but in those cases, my body mechanism usually handled it for me with some help of Lemsip (my favorite instant cure). Well, at least I didn’t need to see a doctor. But this time, my body could not do it anymore. I fell sick finally on bed. My body aches. My head seemed to be slowly boiling. I felt the cold inside my bone. My throat was dry and itchy and boiling too. This time I had to see a doctor. My wife in fact has advised me to see the doctor a day earlier. I did not, because I thought I could overcome it. Doom… How could I? This led me to think if our computer can defend itself against all kinds of computer virus, worms, spyware, … etc. even with the best known Norton? Well, sometimes, it can; sometimes, it can’t. Norton says, “The virus is successfully quarantined. ” or “The virus is not removable.” … etc. What? That means, the virus is still there, but just made inactive or suppressed.

Seeing the doctor …

The doctor said I got 102 degrees F. I don’t know whether this is considered high fever or just common. It does not matter. Wait … I just did a search for fever on Google. The first link is Wikipedia. According to Wikipedia, fever (pyrexia) is classified as below:

  • low grade: 38–39°C (100.4–102.2°F)
  • moderate: 39–40°C (102.2–104.0°F)
  • high-grade: 40–42°C (104.0–107.6°F)
  • hyperpyrexia: over 42°C (107.6°F)

So, mine is considered moderate. Thanks God. I was not too late; otherwise my temperate could go higher to hyperpyrexia (which is extremely high fever). Who knows? Thanks to my body also because it has a good signaling system built-in in me. Who built in this system? Can we “operate” without such system? Hmm… that’s a philosophical / theological / physiological question worth exploring. Interesting, isn’t it?

So, the doctor gave me … you wouldn’t believe it … I just counted … 8 types of tablets for 3 days which costed me HKD225 which is a bit more expensive than average.

Feeling sick is not fun. You can’t do much, especially when you feel the chill inside your bone. The worst is … the coughing. You cough, but nothing comes out. That’s irritating and disgusting. I know. Sorry.

So, lying in bed coughing and aching with stuffy runny nose and “weakened” body can really “paralyze” a person. Thanks to the tablets. Their effects came along fast. I could breath using my nose instead of my mouth. That really helps. Now, another amazing thing is this as I ponder … why are we breathing using our nose? Why can we breath using both nose and mouth? What if we could only breath using either nose or mouth, but not both? Do other animals have similar functions? This body thing, too, is amazing.

Thoughts while in bed …

As I felt better with the tablets taking effects on my body, I started to browse around on the Net in bed before I felt drowsy. What else could I do besides browsing the Internet? Reading? Yes. I did a little before I browsed. As I browsed, I thought,”Thanks God for the Internet.” How would life be without the Internet? Huh? Have you ever thought about it ? In this digital age we live in today, can we actually live without the Internet? How would life be if the Internet suddenly disappears?

I know some would say,”Oh, life goes on. Life continues as is. Our parents and/or grandparents did not have the Internet and they could live. Why can we?” Really? Think about it. Our parents and grandparents could live without the Internet because there wasn’t such a thing as Internet in their times. Of course, they could live without it. But, now we have it and use it so much, to the extent that almost all we do has got to involve the Internet or at least email.

Like what? Here is the list I can immediately list out for ya …

  1. Office work
  2. Business
  3. Online friends
  4. Online photo albums
  5. Online chatting
  6. Online games
  7. Online payment
  8. Online news
  9. Online entertainment
  10. Online stock trading
  11. Online banking
  12. Online dating / romance
  13. Online sex
  14. Online gossiping
  15. Online horse betting
  16. Online soccer betting
  17. Online gambling
  18. Online auctions
  19. Online social networking
  20. Online business networking
  21. Online meetings
  22. Online conferencing
  23. Online shopping
  24. Online grocery shopping
  25. Online surveillance system
  26. Online tax declaration / payment
  27. Online job searching
  28. Online interviewing
  29. Online research
  30. Online document storage
  31. Online document backup
  32. Online messaging
  33. Online learning / university
  34. Online teaching
  35. Online coaching
  36. Online therapy
  37. Online diagnosis
  38. Online writing
  39. Online blogging / journaling
  40. Online cheating/scams (!!!!)
  41. Online terrorism
  42. Online …
  43. etc.

The list can go on and on. Indeed, what doesn’t involve the word “Online”. Everything is online. Even online cemetery! Can you believe it? I think we human beings are in trouble! We’re increasingly being enslaved to the Internet. We do “almost” everything online. We’re salves to it. We’re increasingly dependent on the Internet to accomplish tasks that we would traditionally do offline. Why? The reason lies in 4 words: convenient, low-cost, speedy, efficient. I wonder, in the near future, maybe even our household appliances like refrigerator (?? well maybe), microwaves, stoves, ovens, rice cooker, air conditioners, … etc. can all be connected to and operated via the Internet. How will life be if that happens? Perhaps, it’s already happening? I don’t know.

I don’t know how I could get my head to thinking like this when I’m suffering modestly high temperature in my body and my head. But browsing around on the Internet and reading others’ blogs and leaving some comments were all that I could do on my bed yesterday … with this notebook I’m using to type this blog entry. I can’t imagine, how life would be if there wasn’t Internet. “Boring!” is the word immediately “popped up” on my “mind screen”. Ever since the advent of the Internet, I was fascinated by it, by its omnipotent (??) power. My “encounter” with the Internet dated back to 1994, when I was in the United States. Back then, I must admit that I frequented the computer labs more than classes. In computer labs, I browsed the Web 0.9 and doing my homework (???) Can’t remember that well, but the Internet fascinated me and continues to fascinate me right now. It’s just evolving better and better, more and more user- and business- friendly. Hmmm … how amazing things can become, huh!

The two most important things are …

OK, so what are the two most important things I think we can’t live without in our 21st century life? As you can guess (did you?), the most important 2 things are:

  1. Health
  2. Internet

I think I do not need to explain why health is important. It is the most important no matter what. Without health, even if you have the most powerful “thing” on earth or have billions of billions dollars in your bank account, you can’t enjoy it to the fullest. Everything comes to a halt. A full stop if … well … death. (Is there life after death? Hello? ) Plus, with the Internet, there are plentiful of opportunities and possibilities available online, too many that no one would ever imagine possible before in our grandparents’ generation. Without good health, those opportunities / possibilities are simply dreams never come true. Further, without good health, you can’t enjoy life with your family, your loved ones, your friends, your pets, your “toys”, …

Now, the second most important thing we can’t live without in the 21st century is the Internet. I believe technologies will continue to evolve to provide us human beings the most cost effective and fastest conveniences and benefits ever, and we will continue to rely on it, to enjoy the benefits. Technologies and the Internet will continue to influence our life, how we work and do business, how we interact with friends, family, and strangers, … etc.

Wait, we’re in trouble. We’re trapped. Aren’t we? What if well… for some reasons the whole Internet collapsed? … Possible? Only God knows.

No matter what, these two things are the most important 2 things that we human beings in this digital age cannot live without in the 21st century. What will be after 21st century? No one knows. By the time someone reaches that point in time, I am, may be, already “living” in another world? Where? Is there life after death? ….

The most important of all …

Among the two, though, the most important is health. So, my friends, take good care of yourself! And, try “your best” to live and enjoy an abundant life (as life isn’t that easy as we hope it is.) The most important of all is this … despite life being difficult sometimes/oftentimes, we still should strive to lead a meaning- / purpose-driven life. Because it is this “striving” that “adds value” and “spices” to life, a life that is worth living. That makes life interesting!

What are your two most important things you can’t live without?