I’ve been thinking about how much time I spend with technology lately. This from Steve Wozniak stuck a cord with me today.
“All of a sudden, weve lost a lot of control,” he said. “We cant turn off our internet; we cant turn off our smartphones; we cant turn off our computers.”
This comes during a week when my wife is at Live Oak Ranch in Malibu, completely disconnected from the Internet and technology. I’m thrilled she’s there, and yet I would be lying if I said I didn’t envy her right now. Of course, I’m writing these words as I sit at my computer, reading, watching and reacting to his comments on my laptop. Imagine that.
Have we really lost control?
Perhaps. I’d like to get some of it back. I’m going to spend the first week of the new year away from this beast, hike, workout, disconnect, and see if I can’t find a way to moderation. I’m reminded of the words of German novelist, Jean Paul Richter. He said, “Only actions give life strength; only moderation gives it charm.”
I could use a bit more charm in my life.
Interesting. I have had to disconnect because I can’t process it all and I am finding that I can’t be creative when there is so much noise around me. I am seldom on the internet in the evening at all any more and I am re-learning how to sit and read a book and spend more time with various hobbies that I have neglected in recent years. There has to be some balance. I don’t know where it is but I know I have reached the tipping point in that I need to spend more time off line . . and less time one line. 🙂