{UAH} Are slaves to Morden tech?
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10:31 PM |
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TURNING POINT # 58
HOW TO WIN BACK YOUR LIFE!
For a while I had noticed my kids were struggling with homework. If they ever got done all in time I could see much was patchy because they had been engrossed in something else of consuming interest over the weekend.
I too was lingering behind on some over due projects. It seemed hard to figure out exactly what was the cause, or so I thought. During some of my travels I had picked up a bunch of books of interest but I was struggling to find time to dig into them. There were papers and books on my mind to author but I never seemed to have time even with some space at home. What was holding me back!
Now one thing that was way too easy to notice if you ever visited us, was that beaming TV right there at the center, loud, brightly on, with someone holding fast on the veritable remote screen. On occasion I could see the kids squabbling as each seemed to have a special programme to watch. And they had also to cater for me, a News junkie or their mother, who enjoys programs of a particular spiritual focus.
That Mr TV had got in our way occasionally delaying some of our appointments, seemed obvious, that is, if one was willing to confront the truth. And we had talked about this elephant in the room several times but we all at the end of the day just nervously danced around the monster. Who will take the bite!
One day, seeing that the fixation was only getting worse, affecting our progress in critical areas and denying us meeting targets, I stood up and just decided to pull the plug.
Yes I had done it.
And what followed! I know you would want to know. First, no one lost his or her life. Surprise. Second, the world did not come to an end. Surprise. Oh yes we missed a couple of fascinating programs. We moaned for a while, but life went on. And to be honest with a new serenity and sense of purpose.
And for the rest of things we had begun to lag behind like failing to get to school, work, church on time; completing any of our projects on cue and, having more ample time to ourselves, there was a definite gain. And more fun. One Saturday morning we sat down and just talked without that screen on. This hadn't happened in a long while. What had taken us so long to get there was now the question.
Now please don't get me wrong. I am not here to advocate for homes to kill someone's TV cable business. All I want us to reflect on is what are those things that have become perennial distracts in our lives, holding us back from achieving critical goals we all would love to see accomplish. What has taken captive of our lives? But then we just can't let go!
Talk of the smart phone now. It is a good tool and the features it carries can enhance our productivity- like fast communication. We cannot avoid it or else we will be lying to ourselves. When cell phones had just come on the scene I recall meeting one executive who was not easily carried away. He insisted against having one, after all he had a desk phone both at office and home plus voice mail. Good boy. Except that the technology kept improving and soon there was Mobile money and why drive 100 kilometers to deliver money to pay one supplier in the village when a phone can do that easily. How about critical emergencies necessitating getting hold of one in a moment. And it could be your boss calling! Well, last time I heard he had got one.
The problem though comes when these tools now become lo and behold the master of our lives. Instead of enhancing the quality of our lives here they become the slave driver. We wake up to feel their presence. We feed on them through the day. We even can't carry on anything like a normal conversation without going through them.
Ask yourself. How many times have you and I sat in cafes and restaurants, then seen a group of happy faces bounce on a table, and without missing a beat, all get absorbed in these toys, that the waiter has to ring a bell, sort of, to get their attention. And for only a moment before he looses them. Oh, the smart phone.
Above all and worst at that, we keep slowing down in critical areas of our lives where we must meet certain deadlines, because we have found this new intoxicating lover, whom we can never let go! The new lover, like Delilah and Samson in the Bible, has seduced us to give up all our time for her, till one day we discover all our strengths and powers have gone, because she has sucked it all away.
There are and will always be distractions in our lives. Who knows what next. Many come and add a certain delight and comfort to our lives. The danger is when this new love affair, whatever it is, takes up all our time, like as if we never existed up to that stage, or shall cease to do so, once we give up some of that new fascinating possession.
This is when you know you have to pull the plug. It's not easy especially once down in that grip. Courage you will need. But then, I tell you, if you ever do, of course you will live to tell your story and how you got your life back!
Dr Martin M. Lwanga
Sent from Gook's iPhone
--
Disclaimer:Everyone posting to this Forum bears the sole responsibility for any legal consequences of his or her postings, and hence statements and facts must be presented responsibly. Your continued membership signifies that you agree to this disclaimer and pledge to abide by our Rules and Guidelines.To unsubscribe from this group, send email to: ugandans-at-heart+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
HOW TO WIN BACK YOUR LIFE!
For a while I had noticed my kids were struggling with homework. If they ever got done all in time I could see much was patchy because they had been engrossed in something else of consuming interest over the weekend.
I too was lingering behind on some over due projects. It seemed hard to figure out exactly what was the cause, or so I thought. During some of my travels I had picked up a bunch of books of interest but I was struggling to find time to dig into them. There were papers and books on my mind to author but I never seemed to have time even with some space at home. What was holding me back!
Now one thing that was way too easy to notice if you ever visited us, was that beaming TV right there at the center, loud, brightly on, with someone holding fast on the veritable remote screen. On occasion I could see the kids squabbling as each seemed to have a special programme to watch. And they had also to cater for me, a News junkie or their mother, who enjoys programs of a particular spiritual focus.
That Mr TV had got in our way occasionally delaying some of our appointments, seemed obvious, that is, if one was willing to confront the truth. And we had talked about this elephant in the room several times but we all at the end of the day just nervously danced around the monster. Who will take the bite!
One day, seeing that the fixation was only getting worse, affecting our progress in critical areas and denying us meeting targets, I stood up and just decided to pull the plug.
Yes I had done it.
And what followed! I know you would want to know. First, no one lost his or her life. Surprise. Second, the world did not come to an end. Surprise. Oh yes we missed a couple of fascinating programs. We moaned for a while, but life went on. And to be honest with a new serenity and sense of purpose.
And for the rest of things we had begun to lag behind like failing to get to school, work, church on time; completing any of our projects on cue and, having more ample time to ourselves, there was a definite gain. And more fun. One Saturday morning we sat down and just talked without that screen on. This hadn't happened in a long while. What had taken us so long to get there was now the question.
Now please don't get me wrong. I am not here to advocate for homes to kill someone's TV cable business. All I want us to reflect on is what are those things that have become perennial distracts in our lives, holding us back from achieving critical goals we all would love to see accomplish. What has taken captive of our lives? But then we just can't let go!
Talk of the smart phone now. It is a good tool and the features it carries can enhance our productivity- like fast communication. We cannot avoid it or else we will be lying to ourselves. When cell phones had just come on the scene I recall meeting one executive who was not easily carried away. He insisted against having one, after all he had a desk phone both at office and home plus voice mail. Good boy. Except that the technology kept improving and soon there was Mobile money and why drive 100 kilometers to deliver money to pay one supplier in the village when a phone can do that easily. How about critical emergencies necessitating getting hold of one in a moment. And it could be your boss calling! Well, last time I heard he had got one.
The problem though comes when these tools now become lo and behold the master of our lives. Instead of enhancing the quality of our lives here they become the slave driver. We wake up to feel their presence. We feed on them through the day. We even can't carry on anything like a normal conversation without going through them.
Ask yourself. How many times have you and I sat in cafes and restaurants, then seen a group of happy faces bounce on a table, and without missing a beat, all get absorbed in these toys, that the waiter has to ring a bell, sort of, to get their attention. And for only a moment before he looses them. Oh, the smart phone.
Above all and worst at that, we keep slowing down in critical areas of our lives where we must meet certain deadlines, because we have found this new intoxicating lover, whom we can never let go! The new lover, like Delilah and Samson in the Bible, has seduced us to give up all our time for her, till one day we discover all our strengths and powers have gone, because she has sucked it all away.
There are and will always be distractions in our lives. Who knows what next. Many come and add a certain delight and comfort to our lives. The danger is when this new love affair, whatever it is, takes up all our time, like as if we never existed up to that stage, or shall cease to do so, once we give up some of that new fascinating possession.
This is when you know you have to pull the plug. It's not easy especially once down in that grip. Courage you will need. But then, I tell you, if you ever do, of course you will live to tell your story and how you got your life back!
Dr Martin M. Lwanga
Sent from Gook's iPhone
--
Disclaimer:Everyone posting to this Forum bears the sole responsibility for any legal consequences of his or her postings, and hence statements and facts must be presented responsibly. Your continued membership signifies that you agree to this disclaimer and pledge to abide by our Rules and Guidelines.To unsubscribe from this group, send email to: ugandans-at-heart+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
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