When are we free in this digital age? Sitting at the traffic light, we check our smart phone's for emails. Before we wake up in the morning and open our eye lids we are reaching to open the laptop lid for facebook. A 'lul' in conversation and we look to check the latest sporting scores on TV. It was a personal choice with each new device and application we let into our lives and it's up to the individual to determine their legitimacy in one's life moving forward. It's reached a point recently where I knew some things need to get back to the way they were, needing to get back to basics- I'm talking about finding that time in your life again where nothing can distract you.
Some years ago when the grass was a healthy shade of 'naive green' I had an epiphany. The discussion of "when are you truly free?"was well underway and a few beers in I needed to go to the washroom for a no. 1, at this point heckling from the discussion table continued and I thought to myself: "you can never get a moments peace, except when......"
Except when you are doing a no. 2! No. 2's is your time! It's a basic human function that needs to be fulfilled and no one, no one can interrupt. As a, let's called it a 'performer' of a no. 2, as a performer you can not physically stop what you are doing. Find me someone who can stop and I'll high 5 them!... after they've washed their hands. Every one has their own ritual, each performance has it's own credentials, each performer has their favourite parts to the ritual and each performer know's that if any one knocks on that door there is no way they are getting in. As a, let's call it a 'door knocker', as a door knocker you know once you hear a movement, a peep, a squeak or a mumble from behind that door you are off limits and there is nothing you can do about it. What ever the pressing matter may be that has to be discussed right away, you know it just got parked until the performance has finished.
Now the door knocker comes in varying forms and a the repeat offender is the phone in the pocket. It may ring, you can ignore it. It might 'beep' for a text, viber, whatsapp, skype or voxer message (app list could go on), you can still ignore it. When these alerts go off the performer is in a position of power, they know they can't be taken away from their business at hand. Which brings us to the point where we are truly free, when we are engaging in a performance that if not completed could be life threatening! The bodily act of number 2 gives you a freedom throne where you are king for as long as it takes, as many times a day or week or month that is needed.
So as human nature (not the boy band) has separated the performers from the door knockers and allowed us to be free we have a new enemy of freedom. Ourselves. With the world in our pockets, the smart phone holds so many applications to distract the performer to engage with the world beyond that door. With this in mind, have you ever facebooked, made a call, or received a call while taking care of business and thus given up your freedom?
No comments:
Post a Comment