My phone has been off for 3 days. I wasn't really too concerned with it. I really haven't missed it at all. I have also been significantly cutting down the amount of time I spend online, especially on Facebook. Last month when I was working a ton of overtime and overnight shifts, I was trying to pass time and was on Facebook often. I realized that this really is TOO much of good thing isn't it? I mean, when social networking really started taking off (even back in the day when MYSPACE was still relevant)... it was cool because I found all these people I hadn't seen forever. At the time I was living in a different state from where I grew up, so it was nice to be able to keep up with friends and family back home all in one website. I still think that it has positive benefits for keeping people in contact, networking, social interaction, event planning, etc. However, like all good things in life, there needs to be a BALANCE. I think our generation (and subsequent ones) is just too consumed with technology.
When I first started college (probably over 10) YEARS ago, I remember the campuses were much different. There were cell phones, but not like today, and texting was not widespread. I admit to being a big "texter", especially when I'm busy with other things and don't have time to make a phone call. But I digress... the point is years ago on campuses, people used to talk to each other. They used to start up conversations with people passing by, sit with someone they didn't know at the lunch table, etc. Last year when I finished up my degree, campuses were different. Instead of having a DONT TEXT WHILE DRIVING law they should've had a NO TEXTING WHILE WALKING rule on campus. Seriously. You wouldn't believe how many oblivious people I saw walking around NOT looking and texting while almost falling, tripping, or walking into poles. Remember the video of the girl texting who fell into a fountain at a mall? It was big on YouTube. People are just NOT aware of their environment, they are too overly attached to their "technology".
I'm not against technology, and I have no delusions that its impact in our lives will decrease anytime soon. I mean, I majored in communications technology! I definitely have an interest in it, and probably wouldn’t have a career without it. Technology, with its benefits and costs, is here to stay. Mostly I think it propels humanity forward in positive ways. However, it’s up to individuals to find a balance between all this electronic communication, and REAL LIFE that exists in a physical world beyond the computer or cell phone. Remember, real people? Real conversation with live human beings? Think about the fact that prior to the past few generations, most of our collective history has had none of this technology we now take for granted. While electricity was being discovered much earlier, it wasn't really mainstream in houses until the early 1900s. Let me repeat. 1900's. That is only around 100 years ago. What did people do before that? Before there was electricity we had to entertain ourselves in other ways. We had to use natural heat (fire) to keep us warm. We were still connected to the earth, the elements and to our planet. We were still connected to our families and communities because we had to be. There was no, "call me later", “text me” or “find me on Facebook”.
I'm not saying that was better, I'm just saying that some of us have lost an element of our humanity. Yes, there ARE nature enthusiast, etc, but I feel like a lot of us forget the true healing power of nature, or that we're even connected to it. We forget the feeling of being one with our planet, our world, our community. We forget to reach out to REAL people, organizations, causes because we can just "like" an article on Facebook and somehow we feel like we're involved. Guess what, (and I do this all the time, I'm no better by any means)... it's great to share information via the internet (i.e. articles, political opinions, etc) but that isn't enough. Nothing in life is going to change by clicking "share" or "like" on Facebook. We actually have to get off our lazy, complacent, self-indulgent, technology-obsessed, fat American asses, and DO SOMETHING if we really want to impact our own lives or the world at large. Facebook is a tool, a good place to stay connected, yes. But I feel like it becomes an addiction just like everything else we use to fill time, like drugs, alcohol, etc.
That's just how I feel about it right now. I wonder what people would do if Facebook shut down. How would they tend to their fake crops on Farmville? Oh the horror! Meanwhile if we ever faced a food crisis in this country most of us would have no freakin clue how to grow anything to survive. The irony is hilarious. I guess the point here is, as with most things in life, it's harmless in moderation. The key to most things, as I see it, is striking that elusive thing called "BALANCE". I strive to find this in many areas of my life. My relationships with others balanced with the relationship I have with myself. Balancing the amount of food I eat with the amount of energy I expend. Balancing the amount of time I work, with play and rest. Balancing the amount of time I focus on physical things, with my mental and spiritual worlds. Life is about balance. I think now I must balance my use of technology. I don’t want it to take over my world or my real connection to the reality… the BIG planet out there that exists beyond our safe online worlds.
