Integral to society?

While at work tonight I discovered that my mobile phone won't allow me to make calls or sms. I found out when I needed to report to my boss. I initially thought I had effected the phone in some way, mainly because I have a frustrating habit (and I hope I'm not only one). It seems that when I pick things up they start to malfunction or just plain not work. Of course as soon as you hand it to some one else it works fine as it should do.

As this happens far to often I assumed this was the problem with the phone. How ever after a restart (a normally reliable cure) the problem remained. It dawned on me that working through the night meant that I would most likely be unable to communicate with any one until I returned home.

I then started to consider the difficulty in communicating with any body that wasn't in shouting distance (the whole world right now). That lead me to ponder the struggle it would be to arrange to meet people, and communicate almost instantly. Without phones in general life would move at a much slower pace. In fact if there was no mobile network availability and know landlines things would most likely get confusing and panicked . It would be a major disruption to daily life, I can easily (and joyfully) imagine without difficulty it would cause for example of the commercial, and financial sectors in every where, having a knock on effect to global sectors.

With a little more imagination I considered the effect on utilities companies, national (and international) transportation networks. I stopped once I stared to consider the effect other things like global Internet access and security organizations, both government approved and the others.

Would a widespread lack of immediate real time communication be any thing but a dangerous disruption to us? My first impressions gave me a whirlwind of thoughts, but after a time I realised that not being able to communicate (not including the life saving Internet access I have right now :\ ) has given me time to think. After only an hour or so of this isolation I have found myself calmer and more aware of myself. I know know that some times I need to be unavailable and and isolated from outside influence.

I wonder how we all would benefit if we were isolated from time to time. Imagine if we couldn't communicate outside of our own national borders. If some one had the power to isolate each continent. What effect would that have on the wars, conflicts and other events mostly fueled by wide spread (and some times politically sponsored xenophobia.


Uf, I better choke this thread before I develop a head ache, already the idea of no electricity and gas are beginning to make me imagine some more.

I don't know if any one reads this and has a opinion I would love to hear about it. I try not to read these blogs myself as I may get urges to delete them and stop babbling, before I end up a hermit or locked up with Prot in a medical facility. ;)