Techno-Fasting

Have you ever thought about what you used to do before you had the internet, email and cell phones? Do you remember what it was like before there were answering machines? Some of you are too young, but others of us remember needing to be at home to answer the phone!

In the “old days” (1980) we didn’t have a cordless phone. When we were talking to our friends or significant other, we hid in a bathroom or a closet, with the phone cord precariously stretched beyond its limits. We spoke in a hushed tone, hoping no one was listening to us outside the door, like a younger sibling!

When we stayed out too late, our parents had no way of finding us, beyond calling every friend we had and grilling them for information.

Now, with all of this new technology, we can chat with a friend while we cruise around Walmart. We can check email from almost anywhere, and we are never away from the “techno-clutter” called progress.

What if we fasted from technology one day a week? What if for one 24 hour period each week, you let the machine pick up the cell phone ring, and left your laptop off. What if we took it one step further, and didn’t watch TV for that 24 hour period either?

How would it feel to be totally technologically “blind”? I have had that opportunity a few times over the last 5 years. We own a small cabin in a valley that has no TV, cell phone or internet reception. When you are at the “shack” you are essentially limited to an adult contemporary radio station and old VHS movies. Life goes on outside the valley, while you blissfully sit there, unaware….

It is a challenge for the first day. I sense my emails piling up and I worry that something terrible may have happened to someone I know or love. I drive to the top of the hill periodically to see if I have any messages. Then a sense of calm starts to overcome me. I remember that there are two neighbors down the way with landlines. If something happened, family would call them to relay a message, or someone would come down and let me know what was happening.

By day 3, I am not even thinking about the thousand emails in my inbox, most of which are junk anyway. I am also blissfully unaware of the chaos of the modern world. I have been watching old movies, reading books and walking miles without noise or interruption.

When I get home, the first thing I do is to check the email! I do this even before taking a shower or peeing in the flush toilet (did I mention, we don’t have running water or indoor plumbing at the cabin either?).

Simplicity at its best is found at the cabin. No email, tv, cell phones or anything mechanical that can break….we love our technology, but taking periodic breaks can be like clearing your mind…

Can you give it a try? Take 24 hours and turn it all off….listen to the silence…

yogajen