the internet getting in the way

[URsongbird]

does anyone else feel like the internet and other gadgets are getting in the way of being at peace with themselves?

[TurkeyOnRye]

Originally Posted by URsongbird

does anyone else feel like the internet and other gadgets are getting in the way of being at peace with themselves?

They are if we resent using them.

[M L K]

I love having my computer as a portal to friends, family, art, research, and world events. But I have noticed, URsong, that sometimes there is almost a compulsive quality to it for me, which is definitely not peaceful. When that comes up, I notice how the attachment feels to my bodymind, i.e., I simply observe the frenetic, buzzy energy my being on the computer sometimes has. "Noticing" is usually enough to discharge the compulsivity; when it isn't, I turn my machine off. I am noticing that I come to my computer from different places within myself, just as I engage the world directly with more or less reactivity.

All the best to you, Margaret

[Hazelkay]

Originally Posted by URsongbird

does anyone else feel like the internet and other gadgets are getting in the way of being at peace with themselves?

That resonates with me - the computer is a bit like chocolate and TV - too easy to keep on indulging thoughtlessly.

I have some computer free days just to see how the mind reacts and noticing what it is that draws me. I notice sometimes it seems just to be a habit to switch it on and if I walk away there is a twitch in the offending finger.

It is a bit of a gift, really, in this adventure exploring inside, giving lots more food for investigation.

peace and joy

[GilesC]

Originally Posted by URsongbird

does anyone else feel like the internet and other gadgets are getting in the way of being at peace with themselves?

Depends on your attachments to them.

I work with computers as my job, but could live without them if it weren't for the fact that some of my bills etc. come through the internet now, which would be like asking, 30 years ago (yes, I've been working on computers nearly that long), if the postal service was getting in the way of being at peace.

All Love and Reiki Hugs

[Boris Badenov]

I find that days away from the computer are more peaceful for me. Likewise, I almost never watch TV for the simple reason that the idiocy on it drives me crazy.

[Itlandm]

To be honest, I think it is something inside our own psyche that deters us, then blames the gadgets. If you spend some time without them, that part of you will eventually find something else to do the job, so you can shirk the awareness it is uncomfortable with.

But the process of hunting down such things can give us some useful self-insight. So various processes of forsaking outward things are part of many religions, and a central part of monastic life. By eliminating outward distractions, eventually the monks realize that there is nothing and no one outside themselves that causes their distraction.

[URsongbird]

there are consistently new articles coming out about people being obsessed with their smart phones etc, and how it affects their neglected children...don't know if we should be scared of something like this or not

[Mitja]

Originally Posted by TurkeyOnRye

They are if we resent using them.

I aggre with TurkeyOnRye

[URsongbird]

countless studies have already showed the damage it has been doing to our society - not saying technology is bad - people are relying on it and abusing it