I hope you all had a wonderful boxing day – the annual hullabaloo of zest and glee that we all look forward to each year. Apparently, my router celebrated a bit too much and was not up for the daunting task of "working" yesterday. So here is my annual report (hiccup), router (hic) willing.
How rare it was to find myself in a moment of virtual darkness last night – especially with all of my various-colored gadgets (complete with delicious-sounding names) that keep me "connected" 24/7.
How rare it was to find myself in a moment of virtual darkness last night – especially with all of my various-colored gadgets (complete with delicious-sounding names) that keep me "connected" 24/7.
SIDEBAR: What is with these names? It's like they've fooled us into thinking we need the latest gizmo by appealing to one of our most basic needs. Food Logistics recently published an article titled "How Food Names Affect our Appetite." I'm personally convinced that some marketing genius in the tech industry got a hold of this piece and had a field day. Chocolates and Apples and Blackberries will never sound quite as delicious.
But this reliance on the glories of technology; the "connectedness" we feel through Facebook and Myspace, the work we do from our phones and computers, our virtual "Second Life" (and Dwight's dependence on his Second Life's Second Life) is exactly that: a dependence. So what happens when we don't have it? What happens if we disconnect?
Last night, just as I was sitting down to write my annual boxing day email, my router crashed. Fine – chalk it up as a minor hindrance. So I turned on the TV. Nothing. The snow on the set mirrored the weather outside. To add insult to injury, my cell phone beeped three times – its token SOS cry informing me that: 1) it is running out of juice, and 2) it is VERY upset that I left its charger in Portland. So by 6:45pm, I found myself painfully aware of the fact that I was stuck on the top of this hill – completely disconnected. My family looked around at one another – clicking off the TVs and shutting the laptops that had preoccupied us for the last several hours. And we did something revolutionary: we fully engaged in the authentic companionship of one another, no strings or dings or beeps to interrupt. It was only when we disconnected from technology that we were able to connect with one another.
Now I must fervently add that I am not a tech-hater; I love technology as much as the average Kip. Shoot, it provides me with a lifestyle job I've dreamed of having (insert shameless Yelp plug). But it does come with a price. Time is clearly a commodity, and while the advances of technology essentially provide us the ability to do more things at once, we must question how the quality of our friendships is affected by page comments, how the quality of our driving is influenced by texting, and how the quality of our physical health is sacrificed for convenience. The prevailing advancements in technology demand equal advancements in our own responsibility.
So today the router recovered and boy, do I feel "connected" again. I'm so connected that I get to spend the rest of the day answering a slew of emails and messages questioning why I've "gone dark" for an entire 10 hours. But for now, I'm off to devour a blackberry and apple cobbler with a dollop of i-scream.
Wishing you and yours warm blessings and responsible advancements in 2008. Please do keep in touch. It's easier than ever, right?
