We live in an era of unlimited information at our fingertips. technology is all around us. The Internet is truly a gift to humanity. What a concept if we had free high-speed access all around the globe, as we do to the air we breathe…
Yet as humans we have become more disconnected from one another than ever before. We like to think of ourselves as the most advanced civilization to date, but in many ways, we have lost most of our values and traditions in favor of 24/7 always-on technology.
Desktops, laptops, tablets, smartphones, screens of all shapes and sizes to suit our needs. a power source and a connection to the internet, and we are set! Take a look around you, at home, at work, out in public…wherever you go, people looking down, device in-hand, transfixed on their screen, oblivious of their surroundings. We can’t even have drinks, have a coffee or eat a meal at a public place without remaining “plugged in” …. Hi how are you? what’s today’s special? what’s your Wifi-password?
We have forgotten common good manners, we have forgotten the art of conversation, and face-to-face interaction with one another. We neglect those immediate around us in favor of the screen before us. Life around us is happening and passing us by, but hey have to check how many LIKES i got, or followers I have, or what the Kardashians or Kanye are up to.
while we would like to believe that these devices serve us, we have instead let these devices take over our lives and we have become trained pets to these devices. think about it! “I need updates, I need charging, answer this phone-call, answer this txt-message, check your email, check this status, check that status, who tweeted what”, etc. a ring, a buzz, a chime, … and we are compelled to instantly respond to the device like well-conditioned dogs to a stimulus.
We are well on our way to becoming a society of “one”, where each has nothing to say to the other. Our most loyal companion is slowly but surely becoming a digital communication device. Some people cannot even fathom the idea of spending just a few hours, let alone a day, without their beloved device. Take an average first world family, take away every possible device for one week-end….. it’s like forcing a heroine-addict into rehab. (imagine an entire vacation without devices?)
What was meant to be a useful tool to serve us, has become a harmful drug which will bring about our undoing, unless we learn to take our lives back, and put these devices back in their place. We must re-assert our selves as masters over these digital slaves, and not continue to allow them to rule every aspect of our lives. So give yourself a nudge, give your devices a time-out, unplug from the online world. You will feel grateful, eventually. (esp. for your loved ones).
