Luddite or TechnoAddict?

As Tech use spikes, so does Brain Research. The burning question on NPR recently – are we addicted? Do video games spike our dopamine receptors? Are we even capable of living an unplugged life? “Smart phones” are called “crackberries” for a reason.

I sent that to a colleague and he wrote back:

“I don’t know where the happy medium is… still trying to find it. As a happy luddite, and a confirmed luddite I find myself alienated from this irrational (my opinion) need to be constantly “connected.”

When I swim, when I walk, when I sit quietly to just “think,” I do not need, nor do I want to have some electronic device plugged into my ear or encouraging me to use my eyes or diverting me like some Lorelei calling on me to crash in to the shoreline rather than following my luddite instincts.

However, as CEO of The Literacy Company, I know  I should be (and I am) aware of this social reality and therefore, as an important aspect of my fiduciary responsibility, to manage our company  affairs appropriately. i.e., not to close my eyes to what’s going on in the world.” Richard Sutz

Perhaps the happy medium is to decide and communicate that there will be times when we are not connected. After all, when I’m on a plane, I’m disconnected. I somehow made it through 68 hours in three weeks on planes, in foreign airports, or traveling to/from airports and wasn’t “connected” during any of that time.

I think part of the problem — and this is related to the recent spate of “Law of Attraction Thinking” and even “Global Warming”  — is that we tiny globs of protoplasm have a very difficult time accepting that we don’t make a helluva lot of difference in the grand scheme of things. Sure, we matter to our siblings and loved ones. We have friends who would miss us (but will carry on nonetheless) if we died.

We want so badly to believe that our little prayers, our declarations and affirmations, our little putt putt car, all somehow make a DENT in the universe. And truth be told, we just don’t. The Discover Channel special called “earth without people” shows Ma Earth will recover and reboot when we all exit stage left.There will be pain from some of our worst toxins, but she’ll get over it.

People really DON’T think all that much about each other, except in passing. (Leaving out the sociopaths and stalkers, of course.) Collectively we make messes. Collectively we make stupid and wonderful choices. And the earth keeps spinning.

So I suppose if I decide to make every Saturday a Techno free day and tuck myself in a corner to read all day, the world will not end. And I will be better for it. Somehow the laundry will get done – eventually; friends will be contacted, emails read and responses sent. I’ll feed the dogs and myself. The lawn will get mowed — eventually. The birds will fly. The clouds will roll by. I will miss some cool Tweets and blogs. Oh Well.  And eventually it all shakes out.

That is how I plan to deal with Information overload…
Cheers,
Beth

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