Technology: Helpful or Hindering?

Our garage door is broken, well actually the opener is broken. Out of no where, it wont stay closed and when it opens it goes really far up the tracks and almost hits the opener light if it wasn't for that bolt they stick in the main rail to prevent that very action. It just started last night. We are pretty sure it's an adjustment problem, but as Nick and I are not in any kind of a garage door profession we don't know how to fix it. So a repair man will be coming out today.

While I like that I don't have to manually open my garage door every time I go some where or arrive home, I have to wonder, exactly how helpful are these technologies, when most people don't know how to fix them. You could look at it as you are paying for the convenience of these technologies. The fridge for example, when it acts up you have no idea why or what to do about it. Same with most major appliances that do make our lives easier. It just gets so spendy when they all decide to act up at once. Cars are another modern day convenient technology that most people cannot fix on their own, especially as cars become more advanced. Phones, computers, TV's, music and sound systems, now more than likely, we just go buy a new one for what you might pay to fix the old one. We did that when we thought our old fridge was dying, we just bought a new one.

The problem is, we then become hindered by these everyday technologies because when they act up, you have to find, hire and pay for someone to fix it. You cant use it until they come out to fix it, which sometimes can be days. Also what you may end up paying for that service, not that the workers don't deserve to be compensated, they are performing a service. However some repair men can and have been known to take advantage of a situation because the customer isn't knowledgeable on the subject or object they are getting repaired.

Now I am not voting for going back to a real "ice box", horses and buggies and candlelight but it does make you think about how much we pay for our modern day conviences, and not just with money.