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Anil Rajvanshi

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Should we limit our use of cellphones, internet and TV to get back our mental peace?

Internet, cell phones and TV are great means of communication and information. However we as humans are becoming their slaves. A short essay on what can and should be done is at. http://www.nariphaltan.org/cellphone.pdf

Thoughts, debate and suggestions are welcome.

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    Jake Maddox

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    Sep 8 2012: Thanks for your question Anil. I often think about this subject and how it is speeding up my own perception of time. I do have a frame of reference to compare. When I was a boy, I spent a lot of time in a rural farming community where my father and grandfather grew crops. I recall my grandfather and I visiting a great aunt. She didn't have a lot of material possessions, a quaint one bedroom home, no car, no television. I always remember a calming peace in her presence. She wore a simple dress, an apron, and house slippers. She always made fresh cookies, lemonade and tea. We sat in the living room and my grandfather talked with her about simple things, the weather, crops, times long past, etc. The only sound you could hear was a clock "ticking" on the wall. I think that due to our fast-paced lifestyles that our lives will have a perception of being shorter lived.

    I also feel that I am a slave to my lifestyle. We as a society want more and more. We want bigger, better, faster, flashier, more expensive. We desire those status symbols to validate who we are and to garner respect. We live beyond our means and justify it because everyone else is doing it. I'm sick of it really. I would love to regress back to a simpler life. I think something about it appeals to our basic human instincts.

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