Computer Catastrophe
My computer went to sleep, only to never wake up again.
After days of explaining to friends, family, and professors why I wasn’t online, my work was late, and I had a general lack of knowledge about what was happening in the world, that is the statement I settled on for explaining why I was upset, late, and cut-off from a great deal of the world.
My computer was four and a half years old when it sucked in its last electrons, and although this is a fairly long life for a computer, I was no less upset. Not only are computers ridiculously expensive, the environmental damage they inflict is even more costly.
In our society today it’s not an option to not have a computer. I couldn’t be a fully productive student, journalist, manager, or human being without one. More than the burning hole in my wallet, buying a new computer has left me with the guilt of the environmental and societal damage just the creation of it inflicted (especially following this news story about the factory where it was made).
Because of the true costs of creating my new computer, I will treat it well and make it last as long as possible. I will replace the parts that break, and I will resist the temptation and pressure to update to the latest gadgets. I will responsibly recycle my old computer and remember the people who made my new one.
