Analog or Digital? Maybe Digilog

As of today my life is divided in halves. One, lived with the internet and the other without. Needless to say that gives me a statistically sound basis for judging the internet but I wont do that. In phase 1, which is when there was no internet, life was good. I knew where the post office was located.  

But of course we don't like just being good. In phase 2, life got better. There was Rebel Moon Rising, Napster, ICQ and the sound of the modem connecting to the ISP. It really wasn't a long time ago but I have forgotten how that modem looked and which brand it was only because there was no evernote back then on which I could tap the name in. In phase 2 also I knew where the post office was but that's because it was right next to the cyber cafe where we played Unreal. 

The dilemma

So now with equal parts of my life spent on both sides of the i-way I wonder if I had to make the choice which one I would choose. A life with the internet or without?

I feel this is a dilemma (if we can even call it that) that only those born in the 80s in middle-class India (need to be deliberate about the segmentation) feel and hence are most ill-equipped to deal with the internet deluge. This manifests in some serious bipolar behaviour. Some take intense actions like deleting their instant messengers from their phones, deleting their Facebook profiles and some even ditching their smartphones for the good old feature phones. And then they resume after a few months pass. There are others who are hooked to the internet like its a drug. Furiously responding to e-mails as if it adds zeros to their bank accounts or thumbing their way through news feeds. Almost giving the impression that their thumbs have a mind of their own. 

The answer

The answer, like everything else in life, probably lies in moderation. No doubt, I love the internet but it's worth reminding oneself every once in a while, what and how it is really helping one achieve their goals. There is a whole new narrative around the idea of Mindfulness that I have really begun to prescribe to and while it will take some time for it to show some gains, there are some simple tricks that can be picked up on the way to a life of moderation between the internet and real life. I am not an  advocate of 'ditch your phone and look up at the sky and the beautiful world' but I'm also not an advocate of 'come let's edit this powerpoint presentation on the phone and send it back to the boss quickly'. Because I love the internet and because I also don't want to gravitate to extremes, there are some very basic moderation tricks that I have planned to or taken up. So, I have decided to:

1. Not pick up the phone unless it rings or beeps or without a real reason

2. Not take the phone to the loo (sit in peace when taking a dump)

3. Get an alarm clock (destined to fail for people in long distance relationships!)

4. Watch more television without the company of my phone (incidentally this has resulted in the discovery of some great channels and content on the tube)

5. Keep my phone in my pocket during mealtime

Just today I watched, on TV, these great cases where technology has enabled something which was impossible to imagine just a few years ago. Imagine charging your mobile phones from a football or a t-shirt! The pace at which change is coming is phenomenal, but it is also the time to moderate and if we don't moderate now there will be no choice later. I'm glad I atleast have the choice.