THIS weekend will be the first weekend that I spend cut off from my laptop and the internet in about five years. I have become a digital native even though, due to my age, I should probably be seen as a digital immigrant.
I have this uneasy feeling that while I am away, something may happen and I will miss it. I know that I am a little more connected and computer bound than most people, purely because I am constantly searching for the next great thing online, but have we become too dependent on constant connectedness?
The ability to have knowledge at your fingertips and to instantly connect with almost anybody anywhere? I also heard that the cellphone reception is very poor where I am going which is an added bonus, forcing me to adjust to that sort of situation.
I can almost see all the heads of people who know me nod and I can hear them say “finally!” Each week I advocate the use of the internet and the integration thereof in our daily lives, but this week I want to ask you to at least have balance.
We do need technology to make our lives easier and we do need the internet to communicate and have access to vast amounts of knowledge.
But each now and again, we have to switch off, take a step back and just enjoy all that nature has to give us.
I just hope that I can survive being cut off for an entire weekend.