There are varying opinions on the effects of modern technology on human health. Because Facebook has redefined the social makeup of our lives, some people regard it as one of the best developments in the history of human technology; others are convinced that it is destroying life as we know it. For every technology, there’s always a side to take if that’s all you’re looking for in life. But the reality is that nearly everything in life is good or evil, healthy or harmful, and productive or wasteful depending entirely on how we engage.
Concepts of meditation and solitude existed long before Blackberries, iPhones, or even personal computers, yet for the most part we think of “unplugging” as something that pertains almost exclusively to the electronic devices we usually have on hand. But so often those devices are only the physical representation of our deeper connection to work, friends, family, and other obligations. Cell phones, and increasingly smartphones, have become our umbilical cords to the outside world, but if you’ve ever lost or forgotten your phone somewhere you know that the obsession is not tied directly to the device. It’s a way of thinking we adopt, an assumption and belief that there is always some connection to be made, some to-do item to check off of a list. At the end of the day, we’re just plain busy. Unplugging the brain is a far more trying endeavor than just a trip to the mountains without a phone. And that will never change.
Practicing the art of unplugging from daily life will generate substantial benefits to you in both your personal and professional lives. We have a tendency to push our minds and bodies to the limit to achieve lofty goals–working long hours, pressuring ourselves to achieve bigger and better things, and so forth. It’s healthy to have aspirations, but if we completely ignore the fundamentals of healthful living we can negate the purpose of achieving our goals anyway. What’s the point of owning a private yacht if you’re not well enough or don’t have the time to sail it?
Search for opportunities to balance work and play in the coming weeks. More so, create space for yourself to truly rest–don’t just ditch the electronics; ditch the constant obsession with everything else that is going on and just revisit your humanity. You’ll find that you come back stronger, sharper, and better than you were before–and that is what we call a win-win.
