Turn on, tune in, drop out

By: 
Leslie Silverman

My boyfriend just made a huge commitment and decided to do away with his WiFi internet. Not possible, some of you may say? Well that remains to be determined. Neither of us own a television, nor do either of us have any streaming services, other than Spotify or Sirius. Almost every night we hang out we end up talking, or sitting by the candlelight listening to “meditation” music. Once in a while, usually at my coaxing, we will watch a Pluto TV movie. Now, sans, internet that will change, unless we are at my house.

I’m not certain I could live without internet, solely because in the Hills I have no cell service so I’d be completely without any means of communication or forced to get a land line. And working for me would be a huge challenge without at least some internet. But if I lived somewhere where my dumb smartphone could tap into any number G, I’d also get rid of my home internet. Neither of us have unlimited data: we just choose to unplug and live in this world

I understand we are not the norm. Imagine not having a screen in front of you all the time? We both have so much screen time at our jobs the last thing either of us want is more screen time at home.

I used to be a terrible TV junkie. As a child I watched television from the time I got home till I went to bed. Saturday morning cartoons were a must for me, and my Saturday nights were spent watching the “Love Boat” followed by “Fantasy Island.”

Sunday might have been my only day “off” from the world of Fonzi, Radar, Sam and Diane, and later Dunder Mifflin.

But now, maybe because I am older or perhaps because of the internet, television has no appeal. I don’t have any shows I need to watch. I had Netflix for a few months and was so uninspired I canceled it. The same went for Prime and Hulu.

And while I love watching movies, I find that reading allows me to visualize a story in a way that relaxes me. I’d watch a movie and my mind would keep me up after. I read and my mind is ready for rest. So with less screen time my sleep is enhanced.

I admit if my boyfriend wasn’t much of a talker I’d likely be bored just sitting and talking. But we discuss all sorts of subjects from music to mountains, from geology to geography. Through our conversations, I have learned to listen, rather than just hear.

I find my solo time filled with stretching, bird watching, star gazing, petting my Sadie dog and a lot of prayer.

My overall level of relaxation is much higher than it used to be. I spend time in “the moment.” I find multitasking difficult and I’m OK with that. In fact I have found a huge appreciation for focusing all of my energy on one task at a time versus being scattered by multiple tasks at once. I’m far more productive this way.

I’m also learning to enjoy things that have always felt like “chores” to me, like cooking and trying new recipes. My goal is to cultivate some sort of indoor hobby that replaces my web surfing and screen time wasting.

In the ’60s there used to be this saying, “turn on, tune in, drop out.” And while it was meant as a way to say how dangerous drugs can be for us, I think the same motto is appropriate for our devices and screen time.

So I’m dropping back in to the real world; maybe you would like to join me there?

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