Observations on technological interaction
For one week, I was tasked with the challenge to completely disconnect myself from technology for at least 15 minutes a day—a fairly simple assignment that I figured would easy enough to accomplish.
But it wasn’t.
Allow me to define the word ‘technology’. According to Merriam-Webster, technology is: “the use of science in industry, engineering, etc., to invent useful things or to solve problems.” This is where I began to have my doubts about the success of my new challenge. Too often we attribute technology to synonymously mean computers, cellphones, television or anything remotely similar to our 21st century appeasements. However, I found that during my 15 minutes sessions of being mindful and attempting to disconnect from technology, I could not escape it entirely.
My first day is a perfect example. I turned off my phone, set my laptop on my desk and sat down on my bed to meditate and think about how technology encompasses my life. But as I closed my eyes and prepared to relax, I noticed my light was turned on. A light bulb, even one that shines as dimly as mine, is a marvel defined as technology. I sat up out of bed, turned off the light, and repositioned once more.
But then, not ten seconds later, I realized that I was sitting on a bed! A bed is also a form of technology, contained within a home—another form of technology, complete with all the amenities that human civilization has improved on over the years: a carpet, a window, doorways, architecture, indoor plumbing, everything surrounding me is the literal definition of technology.
This ridiculous notion caught me by surprise, and so I attempted to escape my situation by taking a walk outside. This too proved futile. The steps, the sidewalk, the cars driving along the road, the road itself—nearly everything I saw was a form of technology.
Throughout this week, I attempted to remove myself from the grasp of technology, but short of walking through the wilderness, there was no possible way to accomplish the challenge.
A part of me feels sad that technology is so integrated within my life, because I appreciate nature and love the beauty of things unexplored and unknown. A different part of me recognizes that what we have created serves a purpose and is useful and relevant.
These are merely my observations.
