Today, and/or in the week ahead, I invite you to consciously, purposefully "unplug". It is ironic, of course, because to read what I am writing you need to use some electronic device! But I am suggesting experimentation in our collective dependency on electronic media. I confess that this post came to the forefront for me, when my computer refused to turn on one day. I had had a specific time-window to tackle my "online tasks", including sending out email reminders of my Zoom talk for next Sunday (August 3), several online projects, a meeting, and research scheduled for the following day. I charged the computer the night before so all would be up and ready to go in the morning. But that morning--nothing. I went through the checklist--wifi was ok, so I tried the charger--nothing. My first sense was urgency! Time pressure! Then, I realized I still had my phone for a quick search of options, but first--meditation. Meditation erased urgency. Meditation reminded me, that I would have to make some decisions, take some action, probably face delays, but this was not a crisis. Emmet Fox* popped into my head reminding me, "The only thing you have to heal is the present thought...Get the present moment right." There was nothing urgent about the present moment.
Mind clear, I decided the most likely problem was a broken charger. Using the phone, I found and bought a compatible one, to be delivered the next day. In the meantime, I rummaged through shelves and found a notebook that still had blank paper. I thought about the skill of the pivot, and the power of computer-tech skills that include an essential capacity to unplug. Just before my scheduled online meeting, the charging cord arrived. I was still not certain it would work and had put my backup plan in place (download Zoom on my phone), but sure enough, in a matter of minutes I was set to go!
Why the skill of the pivot? I know 'pivoting' is now used in various business and motivational techniques, but to me, it's still associated with basketball. Basketball is a fast moving game, requiring endurance, focus, and dexterity. When you pivot with the ball, you are quickly shifting direction; your mind and body coordinate to maintain balance while you turn. It is related to my previous post on a focal point. Here, you are quickly shifting direction, again and again, as the spontaneous game unfolds. I couldn't use the computer; I had to pivot to meditation, then to my phone, then to paper and pen, sprinkle more meditation in there, and then pivot back to a computer.
We are not living lives of monastic isolation and rigor; nor is there cause to turn our lives and thinking capacity over to technology, or Artificial intelligence. The political/societal scene is generating one shift after another; the climate and natural world is fluctuating and unsettled. Sometimes technology is the solution; sometimes it is the problem. We nurture and secure both our educated intelligence and our instinctual and intuitive brilliance by periodically pulling the plug on technology and rely on Beingness. Try it this week. (Susan Nettleton)
*Emmet Fox was a 20th century New Thought Minister and writer.
for poetry: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/53133/things-56d2322956d0a https://allpoetry.com/poem/18353011-Unplug-by-Steveniskf https://pollycastor.com/2015/10/04/new-poem-unplug-it/ https://letterpile.com/poetry/Addicted-to-Technology-Without-a-Phone