There's an old axiom that action is the intersection of initiative and opportunity. Technology (and other conveniences we take for granted) very often solves the issue of lacking opportunity. It puts the world right at our fingertips. All that's left is the initiative part.
"I didn't think of it" often becomes the last refuge for us, which of course begs the question "why not?" Technology is our deus ex machina in that defense too with any number of reminders and calendars and alarms. So - no more excuses.
More than ever, the final weight of responsibility for taking action comes down to our sense of priority. That's all that's left. So is it the environment? family? career? financial security? character? reputation? respect for others and their time? You fill in the blank.
For many of us with all this ubiquitous technology at our disposal, the questions "why weren't you there?" or "why didn't you call him back?" or "why didn't you reply to that e-mail yet?" or "why was that presentation so lame?" are more dependent than ever on our priority-driven initiative rather than on a question of opportunity.
A good question now is whether our priorities today are different than they will be when we look back 100 years from now.
