no internet?

I have a paper due tomorrow that I really need to work on. So naturally, I'm writing a blog post.

Sometime last weekend, the internet modem at work burned up. It wasn't until today that we finally got the new modem...but now we can't figure out how to make it work. Needless to say, things around the office have been a bit frazzled all week. And it hasn't helped my job much, either. As the queen of copy (technically, ministry assistant in charge of publications, but queen of copy sounds better), it complicated things because (a) I couldn't get necessary documents off of my email, and (b) the only printer access I have is through the wireless network. I learned that if the internet is down, so is my ability to print documents. Yay. Kinkos is my new friend...

It's a bit scary, really, how much we're attached to the internet. I google information, pictures, craft ideas all the time. It can be a great resource, networking with people, making our world smaller and smaller as we have more access to new information. But when we're forced to go one week...just one week!...without it, suddenly the world is falling apart. Is anyone else concerned about how much we depend on this resource?

And though it does bring new connections...in many ways it makes us even more alone. It takes your attention away from face-to-face interactions, and can suck up your time. I'm guilty of it...how many hours do I spend poking around on Facebook, hours that I could use to call an old friend or have coffee with a new one? Facebook tells me I have 419 "friends"...but really, how many of them are authentic? Social networking through sites like Facebook is beneficial in some ways (keeping in contact with people long distance), but are we in danger of using it as a substitute for authentic interaction?

The Internet can be a good thing, even a great thing. But perhaps we all need to be careful of keeping our usage (and dependency on it) in moderation...

Turn off your computer for a few hours. Call a friend or family member. Sit outside. Read a book. Go for a walk. Sit in a coffee shop. Don't lose out on the beauty and wonder in the life around you, the life that is so much more than a computer screen.

I plan on doing so...after I write this paper, of course.