I'm in the middle of my first ever two-week holiday, and it's not only been a vacation from work but a vacation from the computer. My life is professionally and recreationally intertwined with computers and the internet and it seems like escaping it is never an option. Emails mount up, websites go unread, and there's a definite sense of falling behind and/or missing out. Far too many of us are way too comfortable with our digital life and fear and neglect giving ourselves some distance from it. It's a communication tool, sure, but it's also a crutch, like any addiction, and while it's probably the least dangerous of habits, it's still not a good thing, that separation anxiety it causes.
I've been off-line for a full week, at a cottage for 5 days, and then on the road for another two, and so the internet wasn't an option. At the cottage, where there's not a lot to do (it would seem at first), I did start to feel pangs of boredom, of detachment. At one point there was an utter and dire need to find out the weather situation locally and there was absolutely no way of doing so easily, and that was probably the only time where I needed the internet, though I did miss it and want it more often than that.
Funny thing though, I've had internet access for the past four days and I've actually been avoiding it. I've had one half-hour email check and chat session, and another this morning (lasting a little over an hour at this point... a lot of business to take care of on the Rack Raids side of things), but I was feeling rather liberated up until now, and it felt good. Putting some distance between self and the on-line world is wonderful. Spending time with my family, bonding with my stepson, chatting with my parents, having fun with my wife... stuff I do at home but the pull of my on-line responsibilities (whether actual or self-imposed) leaves me with less time to do so (and the feeling of more guilt when I ignore the computer). But there's something refreshing about playing board games instead of video games, about wind surfing or playing badminton or tennis instead of blogging or writing reviews for hours. There's something rewarding about going down to the waterfront and flying a kite with the little guy, rather than spending half a day juggling MP3s, reading a newspaper and doing a crossword puzzle rather than reading blogs and on-line journals... going to a used book store or recycled sporting goods shop in search of buried treasures which could just as easily and cheaply be obtained on-line... the real world is an even more magical place that the virtual one, and it's too easily forgotten.
I've not said all I have to say, but I think I prefer to return to my family than get lost in my thoughts... for a change. I'll be back in a week(ish).
I've been off-line for a full week, at a cottage for 5 days, and then on the road for another two, and so the internet wasn't an option. At the cottage, where there's not a lot to do (it would seem at first), I did start to feel pangs of boredom, of detachment. At one point there was an utter and dire need to find out the weather situation locally and there was absolutely no way of doing so easily, and that was probably the only time where I needed the internet, though I did miss it and want it more often than that.
Funny thing though, I've had internet access for the past four days and I've actually been avoiding it. I've had one half-hour email check and chat session, and another this morning (lasting a little over an hour at this point... a lot of business to take care of on the Rack Raids side of things), but I was feeling rather liberated up until now, and it felt good. Putting some distance between self and the on-line world is wonderful. Spending time with my family, bonding with my stepson, chatting with my parents, having fun with my wife... stuff I do at home but the pull of my on-line responsibilities (whether actual or self-imposed) leaves me with less time to do so (and the feeling of more guilt when I ignore the computer). But there's something refreshing about playing board games instead of video games, about wind surfing or playing badminton or tennis instead of blogging or writing reviews for hours. There's something rewarding about going down to the waterfront and flying a kite with the little guy, rather than spending half a day juggling MP3s, reading a newspaper and doing a crossword puzzle rather than reading blogs and on-line journals... going to a used book store or recycled sporting goods shop in search of buried treasures which could just as easily and cheaply be obtained on-line... the real world is an even more magical place that the virtual one, and it's too easily forgotten.
I've not said all I have to say, but I think I prefer to return to my family than get lost in my thoughts... for a change. I'll be back in a week(ish).