Rogue thoughts about disconnecting and satisfaction.
I've been trying to disconnect from the net more these days,
because I spend too much time on my phone and laptop.
A couple of developments have helped in that respect.
I've gone back to using my BlackBerry Q10, which is really
nice to use for phoning, texting, music and podcasts. I've
buried all of the internet-related apps on the second screen
inside a folder and to my surprise, that actually works.
When I don't see them everyday, I don't use them. If you're
wondering why I don't just uninstall the apps, BlackBerry
World shut down the paid apps section a while ago. They're
closing the app store completely at the end of this year.
Apps are disappearing in the meantime and I don't want to
lose them as I may never get some of them back again. It's
the security blanket approach. If it turns out that I don't
miss the apps over the long term, they'll get deleted.
The other development that has helped a lot is gopher
browsing. I end up reading thoughtful -- and thought-
provoking -- material more often and compulsively surfing
the gadget shopping sites (hi, eBay, we were friends
once...) a lot less. There's also a limit on the new
material available in gopherspace, which is a good thing.
On the subject of online gadget shopping, when your main
interests are on gopher, there seems to be a lot less
impetus to upgrade devices. But I also *think* my device
nostalgia has run its course. There were a lot of devices
(especially handhelds) that were far too expensive when I
was a student and I ended up buying them later, after I got
a permanent job. So now I have a drawer full of interesting
relics. I was pursuing some kind of happiness in buying
those things.
I read something once -- I can't remember the author any
more (maybe H.L. Mencken?) -- that decried a shift in values
in 1940s America. The crux was that people were valued for
what they consumed and no longer for what they were capable
of producing, and that the change was not a positive thing.
I think I'm guilty of that on a personal level: of thinking
that what I consume might change me, make me happier, make
life better, whatever. It's not going to happen.
The weird thing is, I'm not sure that producing material
things makes you happier either. I've renovated and re-wired
every room in my house but one (this summer's project) and
while you get satisfaction from completing those kind of
projects, it's transitory. I hate to cite Zen and the Art of
Motorcycle Maintenance (only because it sounds pretentious),
but Robert Pirsig had a good point when he said that you
have to learn to love the process and not always be focussed
on end goals (he was mountain climbing and *not* enjoying
the process!). I've remembered that point for two decades,
but I don't seem to be able to actually do it while I'm
working on things. I wish I could. The only time I remember
to *try* to enjoy myself while working is when I'm
gardening. I've got to do more of that this spring.
