Sometimes in the middle of the night I awake and think about how I am going to tell the next story? So just where do the ideas come from? I believe it is our life experience that can trigger an idea. Sometimes an idea is a person, sometimes it’s a place, sometimes it’s an image. But what about the world we now live in? Technology, something I teach, is getting the best of us.
In our lives today we are plugged-in in so many wonderful ways, phones for instant communication, the internet for connection and information and productivity and much more. I’m guessing you have multiple technological tools you use every day. And at least one (or more) that you use multiple times each hour. As valuable as these devices and appliances are, they can become energy drains too. Choose to turn off your phone, shut down your laptop or iPad, and not worry about the news for a day or two. You can do this by going away to a more secluded place, like renting a cabin in the woods, or you can do it by hitting the “off” button.
To maximize your creativity, productivity and life satisfaction, you must become an energy manager. When you focus on recharging your mental and emotional batteries, you’ll have greater energy in every area of your life. A difficult thing to do when you have so many “worries” that can really consume your life and technology claims to make it easier.
Jacques Ellul in his book “The Technological Society” explores the role of technology in the modern world. In Ellul’s view, ordered efficiency is the first and foremost law of the technical world, with widespread implications for human life. The technical system is no longer within the reach of human control: it has taken on a life of its own and constitutes an independent force consuming more and more of the non-technical world around it.
There are other ways in which we are divided as we try and find new stories, new ideas and innovative ways to communicate. We are driven to compartmentalize our relationships to become efficient, the ultimate law of technology. Our relationships with our families, our neighbors, our communities, our friends and our government are impacted by the drive for efficiency.
Holocaust survivor Howard Chandler and Dennis enjoy a cold Polish beer.
While spending some time in Poland this past summer, I enjoyed taking time to just sit and watch people. That people watching would most times lead to a conversation with a stranger. Sitting in a sidewalk cafe with a cup of coffee, tea or possible a beer, and not worrying about the time is one way I get recharged. When was the last time you just sat and enjoyed the company of others without looking at the clock, or the cell phone? I sometimes envy the European cultures that take time for people to be with people. To discuss world events, local problems, family life or just ponder the universe.
We are all on a “time clock,” however we must manage somehow to take charge of the clock and use it for ways to make our lives more reflective of what we want from life. So possibly it is time for some reflection. What do I want from life? What are my goals, short term and long term? What are my strengths? My weaknesses? This looks like a list to compile while enjoying a nice warm cup of coffee or tea and enjoying time in solitude. Who knows who might just pull up a chair and interrupt my list making.