I am reading The Journals of Captain James Cook (1728-1779). He was the famous English explorer who sailed the South Pacific and discovered Hawai’i. Of course, the Hawaiians knew it was there, but he let Europeans know it was there.
Captain Cook left home and hearth and country and no one knew where he was, how he was, or when he would return. He had no phone, no internet, no computer, no radio, no mail. Nothing. He didn’t even have enough food for the journey - who knew how long it would last? No one even really knew where he was going! He had carpenters, Marines, blacksmiths, Botanists and all that but they were completely on their own. If they got in trouble (they did), or the ship broke (it did), or they ran low on food (they did), or they got lost (how can you really get lost when you don’t know where you are? But they never did!) – there was no Houston to call.
If he had facebook or twitter, can you imagine his posts:
Discovered new island today
Friendly natives on this island
Hostile natives on this island
Natives restless today
Stuck on rocks
Mast broken
I think this is called An Adventure!
They had technology, but I have a cell phone. A smart phone. My technology makes theirs look primitive. Yet they went out into the wild unknown and I feel naked when I leave the house without my phone.
Look what technology hath wrought.
