Logging Off

My second day on this ever regretful journey was a little more taxing than the first. I say regretful only because I am looking to the many more days to come of this prison of my own making. The reality is that I have never felt more free than I do now having started the purge that is technology. The benefits of technology are not lost to me. I mean, I wouldn’t be able to write this without technology. I guess I could write on paper, but then how would I distribute? The reality is that as of now, technology rules our lives. Everywhere we turn there’s either a new ad being put up, a new movie being released, or (god forbid) new advancements to AI. This is what scares me most. Technology is weaving its fabric into ours. We can no longer live without it. Or can we? I guess that’s what I aim to find out through this series of blogs.

As I said earlier, my 2nd day of no technology did not go as smooth as I had hoped. What looked to me like an easy and calm day at work and later DnD night at the college turned into a storm of insurmountable proportions, but I was up to the challenge. My day started at work. I filed paperwork, talked to clients and all the other boring unimportant things you can think of. It was simple, at first. Then the storm hit. The storm that was my first draft of a paper due for my Media, Society and Culture class. Admittedly I had procrastinated doing the paper until the last minute. As most of you may know, some of the best work comes from procrastination (not). I had to write the paper and I had to write it fast. Although it was only the first draft I still wanted it to be presentable. Luckily my boss (my father) allowed me to take some time to work on it. This was my first infraction. As I had predicted before heading into this challenge, I would have some hiccups. Although I did use my computer to write my paper, I don’t think it took away from the challenge. I was still able to stay off my phone after many close calls of almost pulling my phone out during bathroom breaks and lunch time. This is what I am most proud of as my phone is still one of my main distractions during the day. Even now I sit here next to it and I can hear its call. “just five minutes” it says to me, whispering like the ring whispers to Gollum. We all know how 5 minutes can quickly turn into an hour if we’re not careful. It sits there, trying to sneak a taste of my delicious attention. Still, I persist.

My second and final infraction of the day came late at night after a long and exciting session of Dungeons and Dragons. My whole hour-long ride to Presque Isle was spent daydreaming at the wheel. I thought of everything from past mistakes to future ones. I also came up with what I think are some pretty intriguing story ideas. I have my past self to thank for those when he thought whole days of no technology would be fun. I had a great time at DnD with some new found friends though, and I have my day of no technology to thank for that as well. I would not have been able to live in the moment quite as much if I had been lost in the timeless space of infinite mind numbing information only hours before. My second infraction comes at this moment. After all the fun of DnD had come to a close, it was now time to make the long and arduous trip back home. I did try to keep the music off, but after much back and forth in my head, I decided my own safety was more important than this task I had bestowed upon myself. I turned on the loudest and fastest Rock music I could find. I blasted my eardrums with the heavy drums, fast riffing guitars and borderline impossible vocals of my favorite bands. I dared my speakers to pop along with my eardrums the whole way home. And I have to admit, I loved it. After a long day of silence, I was long overdue for the sweet nectar of Rock and Roll. Even after my two infractions to my self imposed rules, I have to say, I had a very productive day. I got a lot of work done, had many meaningful interactions with friends and family, and had a smile on my face the whole time. Ignoring my pessimistic outlook on my future days of no technology, I believe I have had a very eye opening and meaningful experience so far. I only hope it lasts.