A restive stay
Now in my head,
Begs not stray
From felicity,
But find instead
Oust misery
That so compels,
To sow the way
Of abject spells,
Which can’t escape
From its own hell!
Poetry on a Canapé
A journey through Jean-Jacques Fournier's poetry
Poetry on a Canapé 
If this doesn’t describe the “thinking machines” that is an inherent part of the human condition, then nothing does. “Restive stay” is such a great way of putting it. Never can understand why the mind is so prone to that and not the felicity. Felicity news wouldn’t cut it in our doom & gloom news-driven society. Wish it were different. But alas, I’m a dreamer.
I think of grandparents, father’s parents, lived with us the first five for grandfather, and eleven for her when I was that age and father died. As age caught up to them they too had to feel that near out of control time slip away. But then time was slower and man had not started to perfect devices to speed everything up. They seemed to have time to catch their breath. Now they’re pushing for cellphones on aeroplane flights, because the makers insist we won’t be able to live without the so called news information keeping us informed instantly, of all that world wide negative destruction.
Grandparents lived to, he 91, and her 89, if you can imagine, with no cellphones, televisions, automatic widgets, and pushbutton everything. And oh yes, they were still able to talk to each other, and unbelievably without a cellphone next to their knife and fork at mealtime. Mind boggling just wondering how they ever survived to that age.
Your wish it were different, alas will not come true… But please for the sake of sanity, and all we have left that is real, remain the dreamer that you claim to be. I and many others operating on human power, will be right there along with you, dear friend. Jean-Jacques
How lovely that you shared this, and how wonderful to envision your grandparents, living to such a grand old age, relating to each other and not technology. My parents were married for 52 years, and that was before all the technology as well. Those were the times when families all ate together, etc. Nice to reminisce along with you, my friend. Lovely!
Tanks again Paulette. Don’t get wrong, as you well know I use the available technology too, and thankful for it. But to the maximum possible and for the most part I do not allow it to control me, but rather control my use of it, which I must do if I am to remain human. Being a robot is not my idea of human. Jean-Jacques
Yes, understand. We’re on the same page.