This Labor Day Weekend Ditch The Gadgets Enjoy Life
Posted: Friday, September 03, 2010
by Gerry Charbonneau
http://nibblednews.typepad.com
"A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone. " Henry David Thoreau This 2010 Labor Day weekend why not treat yourself and your family to a three day relaxing retreat from all those electronic gadgets guaranteed to make our modern lives easier, happier and care free. Those gizmos are actually robbing you of experiencing the real world.
The break from the gadgets allows our brains to function at a better level without experiencing the confusion many people feel when completely engrossed in operating the electronics.
The Ipods, Ipads, multi application cell phones and other such technical advancements tend to hardwire our brains into a novel way of reacting to our immediate environment. All that electronics tends to shield our brains and awareness from experiencing the world going on around us. Ever feel confused and overwhelmed by life? Susan Kuchinskas , a journalist and author based in Berkley California , recommends we turn off the gadgetry preventing us from experiencing the world and cleanse our brains by returning to nature. All that electronics could cause more bodily harm than many folks realize. (1) Repetitve stress syndome, computer screen tunnel vision, obesity and other diseases related to sedentary life styles are some possible outcomes of becoming too enamored with our modern arsenal of high tech goodies.
The upcoming three day holiday weekend gives us all the chance to shake off the stress of our jobs and take it easier for a few days at least. This year however the American Motor Association predicts that fewer Americans will travel this weekend than they did in 2008. Most travellers will only travel 50 miles or more.
David Strayer, University of Utah, suggests that cell phone use while driving can actually slow down a younger drivers response time and overall awareness to things going on about them as they drive. The excessive cell phone use causes them to drive as if they were elderly drivers. In fact their overall driving skills are much worse than a senior's. (2)
So what can you do to free yourself from this electronic tyranny? Well, it involves a three part process summed up in the much touted 1960's Hippy Movement slogan : Tune in. Turn on. Drop out.
This involves a three day process. The first day you tune into the fact that in order to free yourself from the gadgets you need to divorce yourself from them for a period of time. Your brain needs the time to become unhooked and freed from your dependance upon all the electronics.
On a recent radio interview Strayer suggested that a three day wilderness adventure could help a person reclaim this freedom. He even suggested that a simple 45 minute walk in a park or natural setting could also be used to help you combat your over dependence on gadgets.
By the third day you become more introspective and begin to realize how you were really a prisoner to all the inventions you currently cherish and depend on. You turn on your senses to appreciate the scent of a flower or the song of a bird in the distance.
Finally, you are able to drop out of the electronic rat race and realize all the personal sacrifice and losses of freedom you really are giving up due to this dependency.
By severing this electronic umbilical connection we have to our gadgets we naturally revert back to a less complicated life style free of the bells, whistles and confining video screens which restrict us from experiencing and enjoying the world about us.
Reference URL
(1) http://men.webmd.com/features/7-ways-hightech-gadgets-could-be-hurting-you
(2) http://www.web.utah.edu/news/releases/05/feb/cellphones.html
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)Excellent advice, Gerry. I own a cell phone, that I rarely use. Use my computer for email and of course SW or writing. My one addiction to electronics is the boob tube. Most evenings I'm too tired to even read, much less do anything else, so I watch mindless stuff on TV. But, I do hear other people who have more gadgets complaining about being somewhat of a slave to them.Thanks for you comment Joyce. Much appreciated.People I know are so loaded down with high tech gadgetry that it is amazing that they do not glow in the dark. Three cell phones. one Ipod, one I pad and a faulty GPS system for personal guidance and you're ready to go no where fast.Have an enjoyable weekend.
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