In a
terrifying fascinating study recently, researchers asked people aged
18-77 to spend fifteen minutes alone. Completely alone. No cell
phones, trivia crack, media, or sensory input of any kind. Over half
the participants chose to give themselves electric shocks as a
distraction, shocks they had previously said they would pay to avoid,
rather than spend this period of time completely without outside
input.
Fifteen minutes. I wish I had read this in the Onion, but I
did not.
This is
incomprehensible to an introvert like me.
The average
teen spends as much time in front of a screen as he would at a full
time job.
So by now
perhaps you're thinking what I'm about to say--December is an ideal
time to release your family from this technological tyranny. This
Christmas, how about a technology black out? Or at least, a grey out.
Close enough.
|
Something so wrong but so right about this. |
Don't
worry--no way no how I am going to tell you not to shop online.
That's just crazy talk. I could not survive Christmas without
shopping online. It is the best invention ever in the history of
history. This is a sanity-saver, so go ahead and take it. In
moderation.
But maybe
December is a month for taking an electronic break, if not a fast.
During our 7 experiment this summer, we were supposed to eliminate
seven forms of media from our lives for a month. I chose facebook,
online puzzles and trivia games, non-work-related articles,
pinterest, snapchat, and movies. While I missed those things, I found
it restful. I found it peaceful. I found I got a lot more work done.
And, I have carried some of those habits into the following months.
Christmastime
is the ideal time to revisit slowing down electronically. Tweeting,
buzzing, and whirring are not sounds you want to hear while roasting
chestnuts by the open fire, anyway. It's a time we want to talk about peace on earth, so why not talk about peace inside our own heads, peace from
the incessant feeling that we need to be available, accessible,
responding at all times to every input?
It's a time we want to talk about peace on earth, so why not talk about peace inside our own heads? [tweet this].
Peace that we could use to connect more closely with our people and our God. That's a peace on earth we all
could use.
So what can we
do to take back our digital lives during December? And, can these
habits carry through? Here are some
options if you, too, think this sounds appealing.
Create some
limits.
Did you know most Silicon Valley parents strictly limit their
kids' time on technology? That Steve Jobs was a low tech parent? They
know better than anyone the talent tech has for sucking us in and
draining us dry. They use safeguards. Why shouldn't we?
Create some
zones that are going to be tech free for the month of December.
Mealtimes. An hour before bedtime. Homework time. An hour after
school. The car. (Hey, we've had our best discussion in the car. This
does not happen when Angry Birds and videos are playing in the
backseat.) Whatever works for your family. Agree that the phones,
tablets, etc go down for that time. On penalty of death by battery
drain. Parents—this applies to you. Tech addiction is not confined
to the young.
Declare a
Fast.
Determine some media that is going to be put down for the
entire month. Trust me—you will feel freer. You will find time
where you didn't know it existed. Choose some of the ones I mentioned
above or choose something that works better for yourself. Choose
something that's going to be felt. (Ex: I don't watch TV, so giving
that up would not have been a challenge.) Let family members choose
what will make them the most free.
Make a competition out of it, if
that's the way you roll. Anyone caught cheating has to put a dollar
in the jar. At the end of the month, donate the money or let the
“winner” for the month choose a fun thing to spend it on.
Just don't
choose to eliminate Christmas movies. Because Charlie Brown
Christmas.
Plan
alternatives.
Keep a list of things you can do instead of going on
Facebook or Youtube. Snowball fight. Library trip. Reading.
Volunteering. Have a real discussion, bake Christmas
cookies, address cards. Have board games, puzzles, or art supplies
set up in a central location. If there are choices that are ready to
go, the mindless electronic siren call won't be as alluring.
Make a new
habit.
Create a go-to choice for those times you feel yourself moving
toward that Facebook tab. Pray for the person you wanted to check on
instead. Think of a kind act to do for someone. Text someone
something encouraging. Do something to be the hands and feet of Jesus
during his holiday season. (Don't go eat a Christmas cookie. Bad new
habit. Trust me on this one.)
And have a
wonderfully quiet December.