Wife and Husband

Mr. Smith and her spouse had just moved to a new house they had made after many years of saving. There are middle-aged couples forty two and 36 years respectively. Mr. Smith was so much fascinated in technology but in no way got a chance to learn about because of financial reasons. Mrs. Smith is sporting a Salwar suit and has just completed dusting the drawers and joined the husband who is assembling simple electronics that had been disassembled.
Mr. Smith: We will decorate this house, it will be a paradise, on earth (Smiling at her wife. There is a joyous mod).
Mrs. Smith: It is going to be a paradise my dear. We have worked tirelessly for many years. It is time to reap the benefits.
Mr. Smith: Truly, nothing comes on a silver platter. I cannot wait to finish this task so that I can rest for some hours. Too tired already.
Mrs. Smith: May be you should not think about sleeping, my favorite program is coming up shortly. Have you fixed the TV set?
(Mr. Smith seems not to like the idea of spending more time on the seat rather than resting after the long hours of work and moving to a new house. He does not want to spoil his wife’s mood)
Mr. Smith: Let me finish fixing the fan, will certainly join you.
Mrs. Smith: This Old TV model never keeps on disappointing. It cannot start now. It seems like there is always something when I want to watch my favorite programs. I need to keep up with my soap opera and the latest trends in clothes because my fashion is outdated.
(She is now seated and checking whether it’s the remote that has a problem. After closely monitoring the electronic for some minutes, she turns to her husband for help).
Mrs. Smith: (Smiling). We need to buy a new Television that is of the modern technology. The recent digital model if this has to be a paradise for real. I think it is a good idea to sell this old system and equalize on the amount to be paid for a new one.
Mr. Smith: We will buy a new one soon. That is a great idea of disposing of the one we have which has proven to be obsolete.
(He is concerned about maintaining the happy mood in the house. The old model cannot raise even half the price of the modern type by nods, a sign that a new one will be bought. The wife is so happy and decides to start creating a new space for the electronic, in case it is bought any time soon. One week later, they prepare to go shopping and make the purchase in the nearest showroom)
Mrs. Smith: There seem to be no model that matches up my taste here.
(An attendant heard her voice and comes to show them the variety of Television Sets that they have)
Attendant: There are more Sets inside our special room, let us go inside and you can choose the one that pleases you. The ones on the display are just meant to direct the customers to the electronics section.
Mr. Smith: Thank you for saving our time. Take us to the room so that we can finish this early before going to fix more things in the house.
Attendant: Here my dear customers, there are the latest models we have. A new television comes with a music system, a transistor, two loudspeakers and a transistor.
Mrs. Smith: Much better, we will settle on this.
(The move towards the counter to make the payments. The attendant assist them to carry their new system but seems unsure whether the two will manage to operate the TV the way it supposed to be. He decides to ask the question as Mr. Smith draws the wallet from his pocket)
Attendant: This new model is difficult to operate and is mostly the taste for youngster. Do you have the needed skills especially for the installation?
(Mr. Smith is not happy with the question. He has always tried to show his wife that there is no one out there who can fix electrical gadgets the way he does.)
Mr. Smith: (Smilling) What a question! Just because we are old does not mean we are digital immigrants.
Mrs. Smith: Oh dear! Do not be so hard on him. He has assisted in selecting the best TV system and he is just concerned.
(After making the purchase, the husband mocks the wife is she knows what is a VCD or a DVD player. Although overwhelmed with joy, none seem to fully understand the working mechanism of the new gadgets. The Couple arrived home safely and fixed every component as instructed)
Mr. Smith: I want to power it now. Just stay back! I have no idea of what is going to happen.
(They both go behind the sofa with the first presses on the remote having no effect). What are you writing?
Mrs, Smith: A letter. The system seems to be faulty.
(Suddenly, a load bang rents the air as the system goes on. This draws the attention of the neighbor who angrily face the couple for the misconduct).
A fiction story
Jane was a 50 years old literature teacher who had no knowledge in using the computer. She was considered as being a conservativist, often sticking to the old ways of data entry, analysis, and presentation. Students in school became aware of her fear of technology and felt that she was too rigid to fit in the ever changing and dynamic world. Initially, she had no problem about her computer illiteracy and would even let her students know. However, the situation changed with time as she was forced to adapt to the new technology which eased the marking, analysis, and presentation of performances to parents with a high a high degree accuracy.
All the staff in her school including the older ones had learned how to use the machines for various tasks and duties assigned to them. Jane considered herself as totally unable to grasp the basic computer skills. She was comforting herself with the thought of getting a retirement and hence, no need to load herself with new lessons on how to use the computer. The school principal was getting annoyed, and feedback with his member of staff who had completely failed to adapt to the new system. Although Jane tried to be as accurate as possible in filling the marks, her efforts were considered by other staff members as being worthless, spending too much time before releasing the results.
As a result of her good performance as a teacher, the government decided to extend her term. Besides, she was promised a promotion to the school’s head teacher following a transfer that saw senior teachers leave. This was a good move to her, and she started to blame herself for being too rigid in embracing change. Dedicating at least an hour every day to learn new skills in computer would have made her more relevant and acceptable to the school’s staff. She was forced to make a decision of joining a computer school to further her knowledge. Every member of staff became so much aware of the move as well as the motives behind it. It was wrong for her to wait for so long until there an opportunity presented itself.
Before taking up the computer classes, Madam Jane was so scared and uncomfortable in front of a computer machine. At one point in time, the pressure that had mounted from the teachers to have her enter her students’ results into the database, embarrassed her in front of the school head. As she controlled the mouse on the pad, she seemed so uncomfortable, sweaty and shaking. The then principal, who was five years older, was so embarrassed by his senior colleague to the point of deciding to enter the data on her behalf. She had proved to be too difficult to understand and help. She even vowed to start attending evening computer classes for her benefit. Student’s had also protested the delay of their marks as a result of a lazy and slow teacher who was considered as being too rigid and traditional to adopt change.
After taking up her senior position in the school, Jane had managed to beat age and was fully conversant with the use of computers. It was shocking to other members of staff who could not understand how first she had grasped the content. Besides, she had learned how to use the simple programming language to come up with applications that would aid in boosting the academic performance. No more delays were witnessed in the release of the results as Jane gained more and more conversant with the use of computers. Jane posted a challenge to other members of staff who were considering themselves as too old to learn new skills.
The story of this teacher is an inspiration to the old people who are not only in the teaching profession but also in other careers who consider themselves as not too smart for technology. The modern world requires people who well versed with the knowledge in the use of computers and other electronic gadgets. Failure to equip oneself with this knowledge will only result in embarrassment which is a situation that can be avoided. Failure to adapt to the technological changes and constantly adding on the knowledge base will only render one as being irrelevant in the modern world which has gone more digital.
Summarily, the two stories have revealed that the middle and the old age in the population are the most affected by the technological advancements. The drama proved that the couples were fearing the worst out of putting on their newly purchased entertainment system. Mrs. Smith was assuming that her husband was a guru, but he was not. Their excitement after the purchase would only annoy the neighbors thus causing embarrassment. A similar case has been seen when focusing on the life of a conservative woman who had a great fear of technology before embracing it for good and acting as a role model to the rest of the teaching staff.