Google It

 “The Weed Eater don’t work.” I said, slightly exhausted from the multiple yanks at a tether cord, spanning most of the last twenty minutes…

“I don’t know what we’re going to do about the Ivy.”

…

“Hey baby, I found out how to get that Ivy up without the Weed Eater,” She said. “I Googled it.”

I stare at her surprised, but eager to hear. “How?”

To spare my readers a long winded list of steps, I will explain how it's done. It’s a two man operation where one person has a rake; the other has some hedge trimmers. The person with the rake combs back the Ivy, while the guy with the hedge trimmers cuts at the snagging vines. You continue to comb and cut until you have a pile of Ivy and pine straw that resembles a rolled up carpet. The best part about it was it actually worked. Holy shit! Thanks Google!

…

What the hell do our dads do now that Google is around? Any question you can ask your dad, you can ask Google. How do you change the oil in your car? Google leads you to a website with step by step instructions and dummy proof drawings. Where do babies come from? The explanations spelled out on a teen health site, without the embarrassing hand gestures. How do you tie a tie? How do you shave? Answers all provided at the click of a mouse. Google monopolizing the humanity of asking a question.

The nurturing touch of a parent has been replaced by the cold precision of straight answers. No decoding required; it's laid out in black and white. No need for disappointment when the advice given doesn’t pan out. No ones memory to get things fuddled up. No need to remember because Google is there if we ever need it again. And maybe there in lies the problem. Have we left Google the job of remembering for us?

No need to remember how to cook a pie. No need to remember how to play a song. No need to remember how to remember. You can just look it up on Google.

I ask the question because what happens when we can no longer remember? What will happen once we’ve given our brains to the collective? Will we be left to consult the super engine Google for everyday menial tasks? I don’t think it’s that serious or anything. I don’t think this is the matrix, but what if?

Mankind left searching for the meaning of life through keywords.