In January I decided to make some changes around home. The biggest change was to go as technology free as possible. This meant, for me, the disconnection of the TV and internet. It has been just over a month now since I made this move. In the beginning I figured it really wouldn’t make that much of a difference since I didn’t spend that much time online or watching TV. It has been my practice not to check emails at home and I have never been one for just browsing the internet. I did check Facebook but not frequently, or so I thought, and TV has not played a big role in my life for many years.
BOY WAS I WRONG!!!
My ipad decided I needed to know that my screen time is apparently down by close to 50%. Now, I am uncertain how it makes this calculation because I would argue that it is down by at least 99% since the only time I have logged into the internet in the last four weeks has been for about 5 minutes. And, that was one day when I responded to messages from my sisters.
Technology – What It Gives and What It Takes Away
Having said all that, what I have come to discover is that TV and the internet were taking far more of my time than I thought. You see, with it gone I seem to have a lot more free time and, of course, I have found projects to fill it. So far I have wallpapered the kitchen and redecorated. I stripped, crack filled, sanded and then painted the hall and am currently knee deep in plaster dust as I refinish the living room. My arms hurt but when I am finished the interior of the house will have a nice facelift!
As I reflect on this I can’t help but wonder what we miss daily because of our immersion into the world of technology. Now, don’t get me wrong, I think that there are many wonderful things associated with technology. In some ways we are able to stay connected with family and friends in ways that were not possible before. The information at our finger tips is astounding and a wonderful tool. Email has opened up a flow of information that would previously have taken weeks to pass along. However, without even realizing it, I believe that technology has also taken something away ~
time to be creative,
connect face to face,
engage in outreach and
enjoying the natural world as completely as we should.
It Is About Balance
Like all things in life, ultimately I think it is about balance. We can get lost in the online world and be absent from the real world or we can find that happy space in between where we can avail ourselves of the advantages of new advances and still be a apart of the natural world and life around us.
Blessings
Valerie
© 2019 Rev. Valerie Peyton Kingsbury. All rights reserved.
What you have written is again, spot on Valerie! Screen time of all types can eat up way more of our time than we realize!