I was reading ~Deb's post the other day and my response to it was "Unplug and think." Her post, much more intellectual, was on letting people be who they really are, you know, accepting people. I am going to explore, in this post, the importance of unplugging from the technology of everyday life.
We have iPods, so we have music bouncing around in our brains all of the time. We have phones, strapped to our hips, in our purses and pockets, so that bosses, spouses, children and friends can talk to us all of the time. We are on email, can't turn it off. We have blackberries – crackberries – so named because of their addictive ability. We have televisions in our bathrooms, our kitchens, on our desktops, in the airports, everywhere.
Every once in a while, we all need to unplug. To be alone with our thoughts. To ponder.
When I was growing up, I would go on family vacations – and frequently we would go to a house that had no phone, no television, no outside stimulation. We would go and vacation. It really helped us as a family. We played board games, we went on walks alone or with a group. We really got back to who we were. Of course, this was before all of the pop psych crap that was on daytime television. And I can tell you my parents were not vacationing in this way because of psychological benefits.
Now, it is a rainy Wednesday in Savannah, and it seems to me to be a wonderful time to unplug from the world and get closer to who we really are.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3. My Stories. Yeah, I have a few erotic stories here. I know, they are not all that good, but they were fun to write. Don't read them if this offends you (and they represent less than 1% of the content here). These stories have elements of truth and fantasy, some more true than others. Complain about something that is a bit more substantive if you must complain. I have lots of faults.
10 comments:
Well..umm..aren't we alone with our thoughts anyway? I mean..is it possible for an ipod to overhear what you're thinking; thus, making you incapable of truly thinking what you want to think for gear of being spied on? hehe
Really though. I dig that, but I get to be alone with my thoughts everyday for at least 30 mintues usually longer. I make a point of it since I have to meditate on a daily basis. If I _really_ want to be alone with my thoughts, I go to the sitting house. Yay!
The week that I was without internet, I found myself actually picking up the good ol’ land line and talking with my friends once again. I also found myself connecting more with my family- as opposed to just sending an email here and there. Funny how these devices really get in the way of our connection with people- when in fact- it was supposed to bring us closer. I got to read a 900 page novel, I got to pray more, meditate more and realize the things I were doing were not so healthy for me. And now, I’m back on the internet and those things will be just a distant memory! Pray for me! (ha)
Unplug and find “life”. Seriously. I’m going to make a conscious effort to do that every so often.
P.S. Gotta love it when I haven't read every single word in the bible, which has 1000 pages in it, yet I read a 900 page novel- not missing one single word. Interesting... hmm...
~deb, the Bible had great authors, but horrible editing, so I know how you feel. I got 2/3 through the OT and just ran out of energy. THE NT is a much faster read.
As for unplugging, is it ironic, or just mundane that we are discussing the draw of "unplugging" on the most plugged in of technologies, the BLOG?
Years ago my dad tried to make me like fishing. He failed in that, but he did teach me to enjoy sitting quietly (no radios allowed) in the middle of a lake, just sitting, and thinking, and, occasionally, talking.
Life around us is very loud. We need the quiet more than we like to admit.
Advizor, you're absolutely right! Amazing how we want to remain unplugged, but out outlet is writing ie: blogs.
prata: some of us have people speaking to us in our heads. You mean, that's not normal?
~deb: what an awesome gift you received.
advisor: well, the OT has parts that meant a lot to people a long time ago that mean less to us. Genealogy, for instance. Who begat whom.
~deb: touche'
Well..I don't know. Is that normal? Everyone tells me I'm not normal, so that must mean that I'm not at all in sync with what everyone else is doing. Maybe it's normal to have those voices in your head, and if that's the case I want one! Or more? *blinks*
Blasphemy! I can't imagine life without constant computer access. Who I really am is a guy with high speed Internet access. If you're not plugged in, you're tuned out.
- Grant
I grew up without a tv. At times I regret it, and especially back then. But the tv I did watch, at friends houses (Saturday morning cartoons), or in motels on family vacations, really imprinted itself on me. As it was, I ended up reading alot, which I still do. I don't own an Ipod and if I did would probably be to lazy to load music on it. But I like music alot. I want to be able to turn on the radio and hear songs that I like. Does the ipod move us one further step from the performer, i.e.
live performance/small setting to
live performance/mega-stadium to
concept album to
I pick a bunch of random ipod songs
Supposedly in the first half of the 1900's, most houses had a piano in them and sing-a-longs were common. Now most individuals have a walkman and people sit and listen in their own isolated worlds. What is the next step? It will be interesting to see. I like to see music created that appeals to a broad audience spectrum--cross racial/generational.
It is better to be unplugged, IMO. Sure, there are a few things that being plugged in makes better/faster/easier, and none of them are absolutely essential to my life.
Post a Comment