The invention of moveable type opened a world of affordable books to anyone who could read, not just an elite leadership. But lies as well as truth could be printed and spread more widely and cheaply.

Automobiles allowed us to visit places we only dreamed of and expanded our horizons. Used in large numbers, they contributed to pollution and armed conflicts over oil.

Television gave us access to a wider world. It also led to less physical exercise for many of us and less interaction with others.

Cheaper ways of producing and transporting food mean fewer of us go hungry. Some of us also gain unhealthy weight because we eat more readily available junk food.

And because of the internet, we gain information instantly. However, we may neglect to develop deeper truths that might come through reading and studying a subject on our own. We can follow news instantly. We can read about anything that interests us. However, if we don’t exercise self-discipline, we end up using all the time we saved with a computer to reading stuff we don’t need, probably more than the past generation spent in front of the television set.

The many inventions of the digital age still call for that elusive habit known as self-discipline.