The Titanic: A terrible wake-up call

"The anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic is a good time to be reminded of the only place we can turn to manage the uncertainty and existential storms swirling around us and thereby make better informed decisions; through turning within." —Levi Ben-Schmuel

In a recent HuffPost blog post, Ben-Shmuel discusses how “the wonders of technology do not give us a pass on being present in this moment.” The sinking of the “unsinkable” Titanic wasn’t due to failing technology. It could have been avoided by taking common sense precautions given the known danger of icebergs that night. Ben-Shmuel has this to say, on why these precautions may have been ignored:

Perhaps the allure of the supposed infallibility of the ship led the captain and others to fall asleep, to be lulled into the illusion that all would be well no matter what. Captain Smith, the commander of the Titanic, had this to say about the potential for disaster: “I cannot imagine any condition which would cause a ship to founder. I cannot conceive of any vital disaster happening to this vessel. Modern shipbuilding has gone beyond that.”

The take-home message: It is all too easy to use technology as a distraction or a crutch, as a way to avoid dealing with difficulties and making tough decisions. “But the costs of this kind of slumber can be high.”

Click here to read “The Titanic 100 Years On: Technology, Infallibility, and Mindfulness.”

For more about mindfulness and technology, read Tech Support for the Hopelessly Connected by Mindful.org’s “On Mental Health” blogger, Elisha Goldstein.