Here’s a challenge. Unplug yourself this weekend. Turn everything off—the TV, your computer, radio, stereo, cell phone, answering machine. Take in no media and be completely unreachable for a day or two.
At first this is going to be uncomfortable. At least it is for me. No computer? How will I answer all the questions that pop into my head? No cell phone? But what will I do if I want to meet someone and I’m running late or can’t find them?
After the initial panic, I settle into a very mellow and leisurely groove. No distractions from thinking. I can take my time and enjoy my life without the subconscious stress of ringing phones and e-mail. I can pursue my pleasures quietly. It’s a good stretch of time to paint, to cook, to plan things.
What will you do with your unfettered time?
Posted by kuri at June 11, 2004 06:15 AMVideo games don’t count as TV or computers, right? Just checking.
Oh, OK. I’ll do it. I think it’ll be challenging, but I expect it to pay psychic dividends down the line as I learn to live in harmony with my inn^!*$^!&*^RTYQRT(RQTH NO CARRIER
I caught myself thinking about this the other day. I was in a book store thinking about buying a new book, and I was looking at the new releases. Usually I like to check on a website before I look at books to see peer reviews and perhaps get a little bit more of a description of the book. Then there’s checking the author and seeing what else they’ve written and finding out if the book is a sequel or not.
Then I realized that I had a great feeling of anxiety because I didn’t have access to these tools. Sometimes I’d like to unplug, but then I remember that most of my life depends on being plugged into the wired. Maybe I need to take a week off and go camping in the woods…
Posted by: Jadae on June 12, 2004 11:50 AM