One of the major news networks ran an advertisement a couple of days ago for an upcoming segment called “Unplugged.” It featured a woman who unplugged most of her technology by choice because it was making her life too hectic. She said something along these lines of this: “Some people like to be interrupted and available all the time. I just got to the point where I didn’t.” The entire segment was going to be about people just like her who have chosen to disconnect.Part of me understands what she, and others like her, was saying. I have three phone numbers and three e-mail addresses and I’m accessible nearly every minute of every day—especially since I purchased a Blackberry a couple of months ago. From a work standpoint, that is a wonderful thing because as a full-time writer, I’m self-employed and always on the lookout for the next paying gig. If I stay accessible to editors, I get more work. That’s a good thing.
But beyond work, I’ve never been crazy about being totally accessible. To be honest, I never feel the absolute necessity of picking up a ringing phone if it’s not work related or somebody I’m close to. I don’t know why some people feel pressure to answer every ringing phone within hearing distance, but thankfully I don’t. And I certainly don’t feel guilty. I have all of this technology to make my life run smoother, not to take it over.
And besides, if I unplugged, I’d miss out on opportunities like I had yesterday when I was away from my office. A good friend of mine moved away from Omaha recently, but we still keep in touch several times a week. He called me yesterday from the road. I knew he had planned to take a several hour trip to visit a former co-worker who is in bad health. I was glad to hear that he’d arrived safely and that his former co-worker received a little good news about her health. I don’t think she’s anywhere close to being out of the woods yet, but it was still nice to hear a positive update. And it was nice to hear my friend’s voice. Unfortunately, he was driving through a bit of snow at the time. I told him to be careful and we hung up.
If I had been unplugged, I would have missed that call. My friend would probably have just left a message or he might not have, but I would have missed an opportunity to hear from someone I really wanted to talk to. And I know how lonely the road can be—especially after you’ve just experienced something you want to talk about. You can feel so isolated as the miles roll by. Modern technology gives us the chance to virtually erase those miles with the push of a few buttons.
