The other day at the gym, with three televisions on three different channels in front of me and my son's iPod cranking in my ears, the threat of physical violence between my two boys over a computer game they both wanted to play and the lack of real-time activities that most of the boys we know engage in, the assistive technology in the form of iPhones, iPads, and applications, flip video cameras, Kindles and Xboxes, I thought about quitting.
Not in any conventional way, mind you. I would never, ever, under any circumstances quit my job without having
a) inherited ridiculous sums of money
b) won the lotto
c) found some other, incredibly lucrative dream job
d) finally figured out a way to support myself writing
And, really, I would never ever, under any circumstances quit my job of raising my family - although I do from time to time muse on
a) boarding school
b) letting the boys "try it with their dad" in California
c) stop caring enough about them for one day to actually feel relaxed
What I thought about quitting, entirely, and without shame, was
technology.
And of course, by quitting, I really meant cutting back, because I love EmpowHER and other online things and probably couldn't live without them.
Okay, I would live, but just barely.
But how about a small change in the amount of technology we have? For example, let's say we take all the televisions out of the house? Or having one computer and a radio and yes, a CD player, but nothing else?
The beauty and connection to the natural world I felt as a child is so lost on my own children and all children born today it makes me shudder. I don't want to make sweeping generalizations either, but to be technologically savvy is to be current, relevant, and even smart about raising your children nowadays who will, most likely, need so many technologically advanced televisual and computing skills as adults it would make my 1970's head just spin on its axis.
So I pump away at the stair stepper thing and just imagine my life--maybe when my kids are grown and I am an old lady--with the freedom awarded to old ladies and I can sell everything I own, move to New Mexico, and live without electronic interference 24 hours a day, seven days a week. I will walk or bike to where I want to go, take a kayak out onto a lake somewhere, plant more things more regularly, sit on the edge of the water with a book, write with a pen, draw with a pencil, unplug and breathe, and fill up on air.
Aimee Boyle is a regular contributor to EmpowHER and writes fiction in her spare time.