An analog man living, and working, in a digital world that is OUT of control

So for those who know me, you know that I work in a technology based business, one that includes delivering content to users. It is an impossible task to keep up with the myriad new digital interface gadgets that arrive daily. That makes my job challenging at best and at worse possibly a fool errand. I find, that for my personal life, I am more and more NOT wanting to be connected, plugged in or whatever the latest term is. I am an analog man living in a digital hell and I ponder sometimes what is driving this mad dash to “be connected” via broadband or via 3 or 4g mobile networks. It all leaves me asking – WHY. Why do I need 18megabits of download speed from my cable internet provider? Why do I need a portable gadget that tethers me to work and the rest of the world? Why do we feel the need to have the, most often, superficial relationships via the social media thing? WHY, WHY and WHY? Let me make no bones, I have all these crazy things but I still have to ask, WHY?

I know and recognize the advantages of being connected, I really do. BUT, I am just not sure I want to be that connected. It forces us to deal with the “noise” of everyone else’s life all the time, where is the “me time”? I think it is important to have “me time”, that time we spend without being connected and just being at one with our thoughts, our dreams, our ambitions and all the rest of ourselves. Self evaluation is one of the most important life tools I have to keep myself grounded. I have a hard time keeping all that straight when I have a tweet here or an update there or a text here or even a call there. I know we hear a lot about multi-tasking, at work and in our personal lives. Well let me tell ya friends, it is bullshit, let me say that again, multi-tasking is BULLSHIT! There have even been studies using new and improved brain mapping technology that proves that our evolutionary capabilities have not caught up, two things max and each suffer when there are only two tasks trying to be done at the same time. When we start adding more and it all falls apart completely, a superficial attempt to trick ourselves into getting it all done.

I would rather do one thing at a time, and do it well than do 8 things poorly all at the same time. I have several hobbies, woodworking and jalopy fixing among others. Now trust me when I am running a stick of Bolivian Rosewood through the 5 hp table saw (that is enough to rip my body to shreds) the last thing I am going to want to care about is what in the hell someone’s happiness percentage is on FaceBook. That work requires a singular focus, not only for the safety concerns but to create master pieces in wood you have to be one with the lumber. That is a plain and simple fact. To truly be good at something there are some ingredients that must be present. First and foremost there is a love of the task, whatever it is – work or personal. Second there are some skills needed, usually developed over years of instruction and practice. Third is focus, focus while completing the tasks necessary to complete the work. We do not think about step 8 until we have completed step 7, not step 1. Think about it, are you worried about the paint job on the jalopy while you are rebuilding the motor, NOPE. You are, or should be, worried about the bearing clearances, torque specs and whether the proper lubricant are being used in the proper area. None of which has anything to do with paint.

I drive a 52 year car for many reasons but mostly because I can work on it, and do. I enjoy working on it, I like being on my back slid under working on whatever might need some attention. I do not give a damn who is on the phone if my hands are greasy and I am in the middle of getting the transmission cross member bolts back in without cross threading them. I am not sliding out to get that call, and if you let it ring through to voicemail and then, immediately call me AGAIN – give it up I ain’t even calling your ass back! I also like driving a 52 year old car because I see it as analogous to my life, an old jalopy with ZERO electronics (and zero interest in having any fancy gadgetry) living in a world where some cars can park themselves or keep themselves from flipping over. Cars that park themselves – really, we need that? WHY? A better question really is how much extra did that cost and how much will it cost to repair and why did your lazy ass not skip on that option and donate that money to a charity of your choosing. It is a car for petes sake.

I do not suppose I will ever make it but I have a life goal to never send a text message, I can not even find on my cellular gadget where to read them if you send them to me. Not because I CAN not figure it out, but because I DO not want to figure it out. I am computer savvy, I started repairing them in 1985 and I enjoy what they offer to me, I just will not allow them to take over my life. Our society has been slowly brainwashing us to believe that we must have the latest and greatest gadgets. I understand it and I know that Moore’s law is driving the bus, from hardware development to software development, all looking for the killer app. Do not get me wrong, I recognize the advantages we have now over 25 years ago but at some point we have to look at our selves and our lives and make the call. Addiction is a terrible thing, whether it be to drugs or alcohol or to the damn gadgets that have taken over our world. I saw a piece on the news the other day where they deprived college kids of their connections to the world and the results were catastrophic, they crumbled. That my friends, is SCARY.

So I ask that you put your gadgets away and turn off your computer and go out side and play and when you get tired find a big old tree and sit under and stare at the clouds and just think, quietly, about your life and the things that are truly important to you. I bet you find that your gadgets and your connections are not on the list.