Imagine if every Thursday your shoes exploded if you tied them

In the ancient days, when the people of the world did not yet know the fire of technology, they relied on the wisdom of the elements and the earth. Yet, even in those times, the struggles of life were not unfamiliar. A wise elder might say, "Imagine, if you will, the hardship of walking each day knowing that at any moment, the very shoes upon your feet could betray you, bursting apart with the slightest mistake. Imagine this calamity happening every week, without warning, yet no one dares to speak of it." This, the elder might continue, is akin to the struggles we now face with technology—a force that has both lifted us to greater heights and tethered us to frustrations we dare not acknowledge.

Jef Raskin, a sage of the modern world, speaks of computers—those great machines that promise so much but often disappoint. "Imagine if every Thursday," he quips, "your shoes exploded if you tied them the usual way." How swiftly would we raise our voices in protest if the simplest act of tying a shoe resulted in such destruction? Yet, for many, the daily misfortunes brought by computers—errors, crashes, unresponsive programs—are tolerated, even accepted, with little complaint. In the face of these frustrations, people carry on, silently enduring the inconveniences, as though they are powerless to change them.

Consider the plight of the early adventurers, those who sailed across treacherous seas. When their ships creaked and groaned, threatening to collapse beneath them, they did not remain silent. They shouted, they acted, they repaired, for they understood that the very tools they relied upon must be trusted to fulfill their purpose. Why, then, do we accept the failures of technology so readily, when we would never accept such failures in any other aspect of our lives? Why do we allow these modern tools, designed to help us, to fall short without protest?

Let us turn our gaze to the story of Thomas Edison, the great inventor. Though his creations were revolutionary, he did not accept failure as final. His perseverance in the face of countless unsuccessful attempts to invent the lightbulb serves as a beacon to us all. He was unwilling to settle for a world in which technology failed him—he sought and found ways to overcome the obstacles that stood in his path. Imagine, if Edison had allowed the failures of his inventions to go unnoticed, how much darker our world might be today.

Raskin’s quote serves as a modern parable. "This happens to us all the time with computers, and nobody thinks of complaining." It is a call to action, a reminder that the tools we use, the machines that are meant to serve us, should be held accountable. When they fall short, we must not bow in silence but demand better. If the computers we rely upon fail us, we should ask, "Why?" and seek to improve the systems we have built. Like the explorers of old, like Edison in his workshop, we must hold technology to higher standards, knowing that it can be refined and improved, that the failures of today need not become the failures of tomorrow.

The lesson to be learned here is that acceptance of mediocrity is not wisdom but complacency. We must look to the mistakes and frustrations of the present not as inevitable occurrences but as challenges to be overcome. Just as we would never tolerate our shoes exploding with each step, we should demand that our technologies serve us without fail. The world of the future must be one where innovation is not hindered by constant setbacks but fueled by the resolve to create a world in which we no longer suffer the consequences of faulty tools.

And so, let us rise, let us speak, and let us act. Demand that the systems we rely upon meet the standards they promise. Let us not stand idly by while our tools—whether they are the humble shoes beneath our feet or the complex machines that control our lives—fail to serve their purpose. Instead, let us be like the great innovators of the past, unyielding in our resolve to create a world where technology, like the mighty ship of old, is steadfast and true. Only then can we ensure that the tools of tomorrow will fulfill their potential, free from the frustrations of yesterday.