Guilty pleasures

Linking up this old post with #ArchiveLove because it's about guilty pleasures and it discusses a TV show (and yes I did go and see Offerman on Friday night! Interesting Offerman also discussed this and sang 2 songs about it, but more of that in a yet to be written post.) We all have guilty pleasures, and a lot of what we busy ourselves with, we self-create. We waste a lot of time, or rather use up our time on the internet, rather than being present in the physical world. I think we are busy to the point of exhaustion, because we commit too much. We don't want to skip a swimming lesson, or guitar or work function, and in the end, something has to give. Sometimes we busy ourselves so we're not left alone with our thoughts.

Last night I watched an episode of Parks & Recreation called Sex Education that opened with a hilarious bit around "tonnes of old people have chlamydia". It also covered Internet addiction. It came down to this, Ron asked Tom why he needed to be distracted all the time? His answer 'the truth is, things aren't going that great in my life at the moment, so I'd rather play Doodle Jump than think about that."

Is that why we do it?

It definitely adds interest to a lacklustre day. It is easy contact, usually without hassles or demands.

It is a way for the lonely to reach out (or is it for the sociable but house/office bound?).

It is often an addiction, as our devices become more and more portable.

It becomes an intrusion. An intrusion in relationships, in our cars*, in our lives.

Some one mentioned it was the National Day of Unplugging today, a movement aimed at getting hyperconnected people to slow down their lives a little with a day of rest, and ultimately build time of rest into their normal week**. Give it a go.

Or more importantly, unplug a little of your day, every day.

I'm no saint. I've taken to leaving my phone in the other room at night, because otherwise I will check email & facebook. I am trying to be better at other entertainments when waiting or out in the park. I'd like it if my phone was the last resort, rather than my first choice.

I'm not going to give it up, but I would like to be a little more present in my life.

Seems like a challenge for my Torschlusspanik List, but I'm not sure if I'm ready for that commitment. Would you? Could you?

*Not my car, in the show Tom crashes his car, tweeting.

**It's hilarious to me that the National Day of Unplugging people can be followed on FB and Twitter, and have a competition where you upload photos of what you do instead of being online/phone etc...sort of defeats the point.