22 Jul 2008
Life continues to get very complicated. We are the most stressed generation since humans have walked the earth and at the same time we are the luckiest. The vast majority of Americans have a roof over their heads and food to eat, we have access to medical care, entertainment and a level of prosperity the world has never seen before.
At the same time, we have taken ourselves out of the world in which we live, away from our environment, our families and the connections that make us secure in who we are. This move towards a lifestyle that embraces solitary and sedentary activities is leaving us obese and emotionally stressed.
We are all aware of how fast technological advances are made, and what we seem to believe is that we can develop just as fast, that we can adjust to this "new world" easily. We cannot. It takes generations and generations for humans to adjust to new surroundings, including technology. This does not mean we shouldn't use it -- we should. And it doesn't mean we should avoid it -- we cannot. What it does mean is that we have to be in control of the media and devices in our lives and not allow them to control us.
As we humans have changed over time we have gotten taller, our muscle groups smaller and our brains bigger, but this has taken a very long time. On the other hand, the personal computer did not even exist in the early 1980s, and we certainly did not have cell phones or Xboxes. The speed of the computer, the number of television stations, the advent of the iPod and Nintendo Wii are all new inventions that lead us to spend less time with real people and more time living in virtual worlds where we can pretend to be someone else -- without being who we actually are.
Our separation from nature has led us to be more fearful of the outside, has fostered an uncomfortable relationship with silence and has made us “inside” creatures, rather than part of the world around us. This divorce from our world has led us to believe that communication can take place online, that shopping should take place online and that relationships can be made online. For our health, for our families and for the environment -- take a moment and turn off the screen, go outside and be with the people in your life who mean something to you. Who knows, it could open up a whole new world.
Check out these recent articles about screen time:
Background TV Distracts Kids From Play
Americans Spend Nearly 160 Hours Per Month Looking at Screens
| Contributing writer Robert Kesten is the Executive Director of the Center for Screen Time Awareness. |
