I hear ya Higgy (and I love your avatar BTW). It's funny (not really) that I was just on the cusp of tech when I graduated college. Back in the '80's things were different... I was - eh, no matter what I went to school for. I became a chef- a cook. And again, at the time, little need - and little access to technology. And I was too busy...cooking. Recently, I had the chance to get my pal's iphone 5 for free and upgrade my (evil) Verizon plan to @ 120.00$ for a low-end amount of data. I didn't do it. I have a convoy flip phone and a decent computer- which is enough. When I moved to VA, I decided not to hook up TV. It wasn't hard at first because I was actually living in an Airstream and teaching at a cool perma-culture school. Thing is, I remain non-TV even now that I'm in a nice house with the easy availability...
I came from a bad house,job,relationship where I sank my whole self into TV and internet (escape). It ate my soul. I was lost in cyber ether for about 3 years. I lost my identity. My only connection to something beyond the screen were my trips out to hunt for artifacts. My social skills dwindled to nothing. And there are good people out there- to talk to-- face to face! Who knew? I spend my life in a kitchen where you wouldn't know if a bomb dropped or ten feet of snow fell until you go home 10-12 hours later... and then there's the screen of death.
Not any more. I went cold turkey. I have internet- but I'm not into social media- even though I tried. I just don't dig it. It's a hollow straw-man social scene where you can be, say and do just about anything w/o really doing it. No consequences.... well unless you're posting photos, er, um.. not into that either- except for artifacts and rock and fossils
And here's something interesting too. I've found that there's a whole generation of kids (I don't even know the age) who (I think) rely on apps for all their information. So when they post something and want an answer- they don't even use the incredible technology that exists to look up answers, solutions. It amazes me how there's such a lack of investigative curiosity- and I blame it on apps. Because there isn't an app for a brain. Or logic. Or common sense.
So now I have the radio and my DVDs-- which goes back to my youth when there was always music in the house- which provoked singing- and dancing (and battles over what music to listen to...) And there are books. I read a ton of book now- which are cheep as chips at thrift stores. I'm so far behind that it doesn't matter if I'm reading the latest 'thing'. And as far as research goes, the internet is amazing- if you really spend some time figuring out the fluff from the meat. I only miss TV when I feel like kicking back and watching a movie. But that's okay for now. I'll probably get TV again- or Netflicks at some point. But right now it pulls me out of my isolated shell- to be actually engaged in the world.
Understand too, that my favorite vacation is up in Maine on a tiny little island on a lake w/ no electricity and an outhouse. Bad cell. Utter quiet. No electric buzz all the time in the background. It's bliss. And beautiful. And inexpensive (important to me right now)
I think the thing is to really go cold-turkey. Just send your gadgets away to a friend- to keep for 4-6 months. Choose one thing- like a computer. Give yourself a timer. Make it hard. No easy-access, hand-held stuff. Learn how to read a map. Challenge yourself. I like (love) CharlieP's post, but I can't start a fire w/o a match (yet), and I'm no hunter- tho I can fish. And I can sure as heck can cook something w/ very little. That's my life right there- so that's not hard. I just can't go full bore. Suffice it to say- there is an in-between. And you can do this. The short-term gratification of a thumbs-up or a 'like' does not define who you are. Making mistakes is the best way to understand how to succeed. Taking away restaurant reviews and the gps makes you take chances. Life becomes interesting and daring. If you're on this forum, on this board, you're able to do this. You just have to
do it. If your job doesn't depend on it and it won't interrupt your life in a crucial way,
do it. You will find out more about yourself and the ones you love than any other single thing could do. And all you need to do is trust that you're good enough w/o it. Then, at the end of the day, you'll know what you really need as far as gadgets goes-- and what's just overkill or fluff.
I admire your post. Thanks for reading my very long-winded response. Yakker
