How Much is Enough?

When you read an instruction book and try to understand what needs to be done - and fail and fail again, maybe you've had enough. If you've spent hours poring over a manual with no visible results except error messages, I think it's time to call it quits. Begin reading The Brothers Karamazov instead and turn to a ten-year old for help.

When I was in Manila recently, a borrowed cell phone died on me. The gardener, who was busy watering plants, came to my rescue. Another time,when I was having difficulty sending a text message, it was the housemaid who completed the task using her nimble fingers on the tiny keyboard. She could have done it blindfolded. What I'm getting at is this: for me, every newfangled device or program that promises to make a contribution to my life also comes with a demanding commitment of hours devoted to reading and understanding the instructions before I can proceed. Frankly, I have better luck reading and interpreting a poem.