I start to realize that I'm never apart from the internet. I'm never disconnected. Do you know the last time my iPhone was off? When it was in its box. During the day it's on me, and at night it's on my nightstand, charging and serving as my alarm clock. With all the new ways to stay connected, be it the internet, television, cell phone, etc.
Henry David Thoreau expressed the necessity of solitude in Walden, saying, "I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude. We are for the most part more lonely when we go abroad among men than when we stay in our chambers."
If being alone, at least every once in a while, is as beneficial as Thoreau makes it out to be- can this ever occur in modern life? While possible, it is certainly more difficult. Between the internet, television, cell phones and the like, we are almost always connected, and this is viewed as technological progress.
There are even new rules and standards for this modern communication that occurs, as detailed in an article on The Feature.com. It lists the "Top 10 List of SMS etiquette". Is it not backwards that we have even more impersonal ways to communicate?
More so, Thoreau argues that this type of conversation is meaningless, asserting, "Certainly less frequency would suffice for all important and hearty communications."
What I'm suggesting is that we should all take some time during the week to simply be alone. Get heavily involved in a project or your work, or just take some time to read and turn off all of your devices that keep you connected.
Yes, your iPhone does have an off-switch, perhaps that's its most useful function.
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I have been having similar thoughts regarding our societies constant connection to the internet. In fact, I chose to write about it for my editorial on progress. People are becoming less and less inclined to experience the benefits of solitude, and this undying connection to society is definitely not helping.
I thought that list of SMS rules was pretty interesting. My favorite was the one reminding adults to steer clear of trying to sound hip with text message slang.
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