The world is a busy place.
Thanks to current technology, we have it all in the palm of our hand.
I could wax on about the dangers of social media, but you’ve heard it all before. Even the call to shut out the noise is getting noisy.
I’ll go ahead and date myself. I remember a time when you’d leave the house and you were officially disconnected. No one stressed about leaving home with no phone because no one had any other choice. Not only that, I remember taking the phone off the hook during dinner time so we couldn’t be bothered by incoming calls.
I haven’t had phone service for the past 4 years. I have a 5 generation old Samsung Galaxy-7 that I use for wifi access only. I can still make calls, I just have to be on wifi to do it. It’s free and works just about as well as cheaper service providers. I realize it’s not ideal. I’ll probably end up getting an upgraded phone and service soon. But I gotta say, I really don’t mind being disconnected.
It’s not that I’m a Luddite. If anything, I’ve been a technophile most of my life. I still have several years’ worth of Popular Science magazines that I subscribed to from around the 4th grade. I still listen to scientific lectures, debates on radical life extension, and I’ll occasionally get stuck watching the latest SpaceX launch.
Right now, my phone is across the house on its charger with the power off. I last looked at it about four hours ago.
I’m not bragging. I’m just reminding you that you don’t have to get permission to shut the damned noise off.
Shutting off the noise doesn’t make you “less informed”, “selfish” (in the bad way), or “reclusive”. We’re encouraged to set boundaries in our personal lives. I’m encouraging you to set boundaries on the world. No one else has a right to your attention.
I’m not talking about a social media fast, either. I’m not talking about “taking a break”. I’m saying we’d all be better off if our default was disconnected. Shut it off. Live your life. Once in a while, check in. Right now it’s the other way around. Most people live on their damned phones and once in a while, we check into real life.
I want life back. Real life.
