As you read this blog post, can you think back to the time when you didn't know what a "blog" was? Can you remember your life before email? It seems hard to imagine a world without these things, but in reality, it wasn't all that long ago.
In fact, if you're upwards of 35 or so, you probably lived at least half your life without being plugged into the Internet. Now, however, it seems as though we're always plugged in.
We went from having a computer at work to one at work AND home, then to a laptop that we can take everywhere. We went from big, expensive mobile phones to small, relatively inexpensive mobile "smart" phones in about 20 short years. In less than one generation, we became totally plugged in.
Twenty-four hour news channels. Instant news via Websites. News alerts that come to our phones. Twitter feeds, RSS feeds, Facebook posts, and more. A recent Associated Press article says that 26 percent of us get news via our phones. And 46 percent of respondents to the Pew survey that determined that statistic also report that they use up to six different types of media per day.
Are you ever tempted to just "unplug?"
You know, turn the phone off? Don't boot up the computer or turn on the TV? Spend a day or a weekend not attached to a phone, a wireless connection or a satellite signal? Could you do it? Could you completely un-tether yourself from anything with a cord?
If you've ever had the power go out at your house for an extended period of time, you know that it's difficult to do. No Internet, TV, movies, etc. -- it's hard to know what to do with yourself. It's unfortunate, really. Because chances are, your parents -- again, just one generation ago -- had no problem living in an unplugged world most of the time. We can't seem to do it for a few hours!
But wouldn't it be fun to try? Could you spend a weekend "unplugged?" And I'm not talking about a weekend away. I mean a weekend at home.
Poring through the newspaper for your news. Reading a book instead of watching TV. Not answering the phone, checking email or any of that stuff. Playing board games with your kids or cards with your significant other. Clean the house without the iPod stuck into your ears, or cook a meal without that DVD playing in the other room to keep your kids out of the kitchen.
Could you do it?
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