The pleasure of turning things off

The irony of my writings about innovation is how little interest I have in the latest trends. Sure, I keep up enough to have meaningful commentary: it’s my job. But at the same time everyone I meet in the context of “innovation expert” is surprised I don’t own an i-phone, mostly use a 2003 model laptop, and often prefer writing on legal pads to word processors. I am a total throwback.

Despite my knowledge of design and how things work, I’m mostly useless in talk about the latest gadget or software: unless you show it to me so I can play with it, odds are good I haven’t used it before. I’m a Luddite sympathizer. A technological skeptic. My passions lie in the timeless: the things so deeply good they connect and re-connect with us for years, decades and lifetimes. I’m ridiculously happy about the pursuit of timeless things, and many of my favorite timeless things do not have on or off switches.

I’m not an old man, but I’m not young either. At 36 (!) I’ve been fortunate to figure out many things that make me happy and it turns out a good percentage of them are not electronic. In fact I find my most memorable days in my life involved less time spent in front of computers, rather than more.

The trap is that so much of the world, the world of my generation, spirals around the web and its various technologies - there is simply no choice but to spend hours a day in it. I love its conveniences but its burdens are almost as numerous. I swear, if I could swing it somehow, I’m convinced I’d be a happier man in a lifestyle where the majority of my interactions with people were in person, rather than online.

If I could conjure up my fantasy world, a world comprised of amusement parks, water parks, huge untouched forests, Greenwich village (hey, it’s a fantasy), joyous, funny, passionate people, all on a safe tropical beach island, with basketball courts with great runs everywhere, all things online would be a nice cute treat I’d taste maybe once every few days. The real world, when done right, kicks the virtual worlds ass. I mean, it’s not even close. Great websites and video games, as much as I enjoy them, don’t hold a candle to great meals with great friends and fantastic sex with great lovers.

Now sure, technology can enhance the real world. No argument. But so little of what we put our techno-faith in adds something good, without taking something good away. I score most gadgetry as a net loss.

I take pleasure and pride in my willingness to turn things off. When on vacation I don’t long for the web or for checking e-mail. But that said, as of late I’ve found myself victimized by my own choices: working alone, traveling often, as writers and lecturers often do, makes in person interactions with close friends less frequent than I’d like. I meet many people, which is great, but spreading myself across so many relationships can’t help but make those connections thinner than we all admit. And as much as I’m fond of using online interactions to fill gaps, the gap remains. And somehow I know it’s the kind of gap no combination of IM, twitter, e-mail, blogs, or whatever the next communication thing we proclaim as our savior can ever fill. But it’s there, and it’s the way of the day, so there I am.

I can’t close this missive with a confident prescription - I know only who I am and not who you are. And I confess that often at parties, when I’ve been drinking, I comically ramble on about the above (I’m an entirely passionate, philosophically comic and lovable drunk) - and when I do I know most people think I’m nuts. Cute, charming maybe, but nuts. So I don’t expect my advice to mean much, but it’s worth a shot, just for kicks.

Right now, turn at least one thing off. If you can, turn all your gadgets and beeping things off, and listen to the sound of the world without them. Then stop reading this, or whatever thread the web teases you with next and do something crazy like… go outside. It’s summer! Grab your favorite person within 500 feet of you (by definition, there is always one person you like the most of those available within 500 feet), and go for walk. Lie in the grass under the sun and split clouds with your mind. Spend more time and money than you should at lunch (dont you dare eat at your desk! It’s a crime!). Food becomes you, literally, so be mindful of it while you eat it. And talk to someone while eating it, or at least watch and observe the waiters while they work, they do more than you usually notice. A long, mindful break from digital things can do wonders for the mind. And I bet when you do return to whatever digital thing you felt you could not leave, you wont feel so dependent on it as you did before. And that’s a good feeling to have.

Posted in Innovation, personal, rant |