Safety Nets

S.M.A.R.T. - Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology

This amazing computer technology saved the day. I had no idea that this safety net was working quietly behind the scenes within our computer to keep our files safe before the hard drive 'crashed and burned'.

I don't understand computers enough to write about the topic. What I do appreciate is that all of our files were not lost. While that is not a catastrophic event unto itself, it's an inconvenience that I'm grateful we didn't have to endure.

I cannot begin to fathom the technology that makes a computer work. It is beyond my realm of comprehension. We turn on the computer from the comfort of our homes (or cars or pretty much anywhere these days) and we have fingertip access to 'the world'. Yet, when we have to wait more than a few seconds for the information to appear magically before us, we are frustrated.

This instantaneous and convenient access is something that we take for granted ... when it works. When systems fail and we lose everything on our hard drive, it is then that we tend to realize that we should have taken precautions ahead of time.

As it is with our health.

When we are hale and hearty, we take our bodies for granted. We jump out of bed each and every morning, go through the paces of our day and there is much that we don't even have to think about.

Our brain fires messages to our muscles and we walk, talk, breath and have a heart beat without a conscious thought. We are equipped with a structure of bones, muscles and an internal 'hard drive' that runs automatically. As a general rule, all we must do is provide our 'system' with adequate nourishment and rest, take some precautions and safety measures ... and if we are very, very lucky we will continue to wake up each and every day to life-as-we-know-it.

As I studied the intricacies of how our bodies function, I was in awe of the miracle of life. When you break down the processes that are required to sustain life and provide us with mobility, the multitude of unconscious processes that our body takes care of for us, plus our ability to make conscious decisions and the gift that we have to enhance what we have all been 'given' ... it is astounding.

Certainly, there are 'viruses' that sneak by our antivirus protection and create havoc. Some bugs are easier to cure than others.

The human body is equipped with a free immunity protection. Sometimes this system fails and attacks healthy organs. When our immune system works as it was meant to do, it is a blessing that we tend to take for granted. We are fortunate to live in a world where extra 'virus protection' is available. It helps to prevent viruses from spreading.

S.M.A.R.T.  This is not only a tool that our computers can utilize to help prevent an all out failure. It is something that each and every one of us has available to utilize.

Self monitoring analysis - being watchful for any changes to the norm. When our bodies aren't running efficiently, do we have the ability to change any variables to stabilize any negative changes? If not, we have our medical system and a wide variety of information and professionals to assist us.

Reporting technology - in Canada, we are blessed with a health care system where we can quickly report any 'technological' changes. The doctors have checks and balances to alert them to any critical system failures. If we present a full report of what went wrong, how, when and any additional information ... it helps our experts narrow down the field so that they can (hopefully) zero in on the origin of what is going awry.

Just as I neglected to back up our computer, I have also skipped an annual physical medical exam on more than one occasion. If I want my body's S.M.A.R.T. hard drive feature to work efficiently, it is best to take a few precautions. Sometimes the safety nets in life will prevent an all out failure. But we can't rely on them to save us from everything.

Stay safe ... don't rely on the safety features at our disposal. They are a back up system. Our best defense is to stay proactive.

Take time to 'back up your system'.