Unplugged Journal
May 6, 2008
!!
It started today -
-No computer
-No cell phones
-No music players
-No TV
For 4 days. (Except for homework.)
!!
Day 1:
Today I did something stupid - my dad was watching national geographic and I sat down and watched with him.
I feel somewhat terrible. I usually listen to my sony walkman in the car, from home to school and back, and my ipod or computer at home. I watch national geographic and I go on facebook and gmail.
Today - there was no mp3, no ipod, no facebook, and no gmail. I’ve long thought of getting away from all the technology, and as this project came up, I was somewhat enlightened. -However, when it started, I thought more of the things I wouldn’t mind not using - the computer for facebook and gmail, the tv for national geographic, and the cell phone for texting.
T h e n,
I realized that my walkman has to go, too - and a panick went through my head. I’m so used to it that it’s like an addiction. An addiction that could be killing billions right now too, if it were dangerous.
I’m probably handling this assignment a little better than some other kids though, because I don’t use my cell as much, I don’t watch tv as often, and even though I use the internet a lot - I’ve tried so many times to sit at the computer less. Now I’m actually achieving that goal. I’ve only used it for homework today :).
I am confident that I could do better than this though. I feel that I’m only as good as 6/10 because of the tv incident, and my driver listens to the radio in the car, same music as I like - not so unplugged.
Day 3
Today was actually worse than yesterday. I’ve felt tempted to cheat - check my facebook, my gmail, and listen to my MP3 player. My father either watches TV or goes on the internet when he’s home, and that makes me crave the things we can’t use even more. On the first day we started - Tuesday - I actually came home and slept from 5 to 9 I think, so it wasn’t as bad as yesterday or today, but even though I slept for a few hours I still missed the technology when I woke up - because it was obviously still there!
But despite it all, a moral voice inside my head kept me intact up till now - at least. I feel quite vulnerable, but I feel that I can also make it. I wonder what it would be like if electricity suddenly disappeared though. Death of billions of people? A third world war? I’m curious, but I don’t want to find out. Maybe I would join the amish people one day - no more than a week - for an adventure - but I don’t think I could make it too well for more than those 7 days.
After all… this was only day 3. 1 more to go.
