When did life get so complex? When was the last time you didn’t start the day checking your inbox, tweeting and facebooking your status, or flipping on the news while rocking out to your ipod on the way out the door?
Just yesterday I received a tweet from a “friendly” follower who actually demanded information about how my family vacation in Hawaii was unraveling. Now I have no problem sharing what is going on in my life, but I have the right to chose what I do and don’t want shared. The follower was basically reprimanding me for not updating often enough. Why did this irritate me so much? Not because of his attitude, but because of how hyper connected he was while expecting the same from others. While I was out living my life, soaking up the green of Kauai with family I haven’t seen in six months, this guy was impatiently waiting for some type of synopsis every minute.
The internet sucks your life away. I realize this is hypocritical from my standpoint as a blogger and sponge for knowledge, but real life exists outside the computer and disconnecting is necessary. The internet flows at mind bending speeds. It’s an all or nothing game, at least for bloggers. You jump in knowing you have to hit the ground running. I am sure even regular web surfers feel if you don’t update or stay in touch you’ll loose the small toe hold you have on the mountains of information and communicating going on 24/7 around the globe.
Yesterday as I drove and hiked around the North shore of Kauai (literally like stepping back in time and into Jurassic park) I was hit with the same tranquility I felt at various points around Australia. The simple life. Where everyday begins and ends with a dip in the ocean or other outdoorsy activities. Time with friends and family is an everyday must have and material possessions hold little to no value. Living within your means or even off the land is accepted and respected. Weaving a life with nature versus against it. Farmers markets, fruit and home made baked goods stands dot the winding roads. Just writing about such places puts a smile on my face.
A year ago I couldn’t have imagined living such a simple life. What would I do with my day if wifi wasn’t blanketing my environment, if I wasn’t plugged into the information highway, if the outdoors was all I had to entertain myself, if shopping and consuming wasn’t an option, if I didn’t have a city full of things to do and see? I would learn to appreciate every moment. I’d learn to communicate in person. I’d learn to listen. I’d learn to create. I’d learn to discover. I’d learn to be still. I’d learn to quiet my drowning thoughts.
Today I yearn for a mix of both. The connected with the detached, the stress with the calm, the complex with the simple. While I sometimes want the push, drive and energy of a city, I equally adore a wash of a slow, simple existence. Balance, pure and simple. I enjoy having a crap phone that I hardly remember to check, an infrequent wifi connecting that forces me to create from what surrounds me, a day full of activity, breathing, moving and playing.
Your Challenge Today: flash back to a time when you lived a simple life. Before you were hyper connected, before you cared about having the flashy car, the millions of beauty products, the designer house. If you can, take a day out of your week to relive that experience. Unplug, call and meet up with friends, take long walks, play outside, paint, write, create, and calm. Or do what I do and go see and experience a simple place. Let the environment soak into your bones and wash away your stress.
When was the last time you unplugged?
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Wait, there’s something OUTSIDE of the computer screen? You just blew my mind.
I actually can’t really remember a time when I was really disconnected. Ever since my siblings and I saved our pennies for that Nintendo Entertainment System back in the day, I’ve been more or less plugged in, even when exploring nature and ‘getting away from it all.’
I have been systematically forcing myself to disconnect since I started Exile Lifestyle. I sold my iPhone. I didn’t buy a MiFi (though I was very tempted) which would have allowed me to get online absolutely anywhere while traveling. I don’t check my email as often.
One of these days I’m going to take a month sabbatical from the Internet, technology, etc. I’ll probably go insane and sit in the corner, rocking back and forth, muttering retweets of everything anyone nearby says loud enough for me to hear, but damn it, I will have tried
Great article and very true. Much of life is now being lived through the computer screen. People are plugged in and wired every minute of the day. I guess the unfortunate realisation will come when you get to the end of your life and realise you spent most of it in front of the computer screen sharing others peoples information and experiences. You… Read More can never replace the excitement and the feeling of real experiences and adventures in life. The great thing is Amber; you are living and sharing your experiences which are real – bit of a shame about the pushy follower, perhaps he needs to get a life.
@Colin- haha! I completely relate. Nintendo, Sega, all the technology you could ever need and or want. I grew up in a similar way. How difficult was it to sell your iphone? It was really hard for me at the time, but I can’t imagine having it now. It’s funny how we actually have to try really really hard to disconnect. Completely tossing gadgets in order to simplify and live “real” life. I am sure experiencing Argentina is also pulling you away from the online world. I find it really difficult to connect all the time when there is so much new stuff to see and do outside. If that makes me a crappy blogger then so be it
@Darren- I hate the thought of people not acting, living and breathing their precious moments to the fullest. It kills me to see couples sucked into their phones during dinner, hardly speaking to each other. What happened to the art of conversation and listening? I say we all, including myself, need to act more and quit reading and translating others experiences. Do it with em!
what a great post.. The picture totally made me want to blink myself back into the jungle on top of Coba in Mexico!!
I agree with Colin that if I took a sabbatical from the net, I’d go bonkers myself… Would be good for me, my child and my hubby!!
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Very refreshing reminder!!
It’s kind of a conundrum isn’t it? I mean a lot of us who sell everything and move across the world for the simpler life fund ourselves by work through the internet. To get the internet to pay off it often means spending a lot of time in front of the computer. For me, trying to find the balance of being on in order to do my work and turning it off in order to live my life seems to be the trick.
I can totally relate to that. I remember with grace visiting Rangitoto and the incredible feeling of tranquility and fulfillment. The island was (is) still hot from the last volcanic eruption but it was hot in a very different way than our daily hotness on the Internet.
That was a good reminder
I really enjoyed this post on so many levels. I’m all about simplicity and cultivating a simple life. Adding beauty to our lives and getting back to our core stillness I think are essential.
Thanks again!
Dayne
Man what a great call back to reality. We build all these dependancies….which is exactly what they are…a cage we build for ourselves…thanks for this!
How can we live that life without being in Hawaii heh…we can…it’s just a lot easier to turn to my Wii’s wifi…actually takes effort … no only effort but effort we’re not used to go outside and appreciate the breeze, sunsets, trees and people. What a world we live in.
@gotpassport- yes yes a sabbatical is what most of us need. thanks for your thoughts.
@Carmen- it is such a tough balance for exactly that reason. The internet is all consuming when it’s your lively hood. I try to interject my day with lots of movement breaks. It’s the only way I can keep my sanity.
@Dayne- core stillness! I love this. It takes getting away from it all most of the time to find this stillness and peace. Now that I’m back in busy Sydney it’s making me miss the calm of the islands.
@Robert- I’m so glad you got a call back to reality. And yes we all tend to build cages around ourselves. I feel like all I do is try to break those self imposed boundaries. Scary, but well worth it
I strive to live as simple a life as possible. That being said the last time that my mind was completely relieved and I was away from all forms of technology was when I was on a 10 day backpacking trip in Patagonia last year. The fresh water and air, mixed with the stunning scenery and physical challenge, was absolutely breathtaking and modernization relieving.
Thanks for the reminder!
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