As one who is almost always online – both at work and outside of work – stepping away from technology for any period of time is difficult for me. As I anticipate spending the next several days in a personal retreat at The Abbey of Gethsemani, I’m in a bit of a quandary over what to do about my daily blog updates here.
Part of my reason for getting away is to unplug from the always-on status of my daily life. Reflecting on lessons learned for the day will still be a part of each day on the retreat, and writing those down will be a part of the day’s end. The issue is whether or not I leave the Abbey long enough to go somewhere with Internet access to upload the daily blog posts, or whether I wait until I’m back home Friday to upload them.
This may seem like a silly dilemma for some, but as one who likes and appreciates routine and who is absolutely determined to write for this blog daily this year, it is a decision that’s tough for me to make. I’m not sure what I’ll do.
Regardless of my decision for the next several days, it is an interesting takeaway that for many, including myself, being online is now a major, constant part of daily life. That isn’t necessarily good or bad. It’s just a change in reality that technology enables. It brings with it the expectation that we use our chosen technology to access the information, people and resources we want whenever and wherever we want. Doing without initiates some kind of withdrawal that is just as real as any physical withdrawal from other substances.
We all inherently know the hollowness of the addict’s claim that he can quit anytime he chooses. We know it not to be true. So maybe I need to not make this an almost unplugged event and, instead, sever the cord and actually unplug. We’ll see.
Besides me, you’ll be the first to know since the only way you’ll see blog posts here at least Tuesday-Thursday this week is if I unplug completely.
Here’s to the journey. Leap year lesson #85 is Unplugging is difficult.
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