Your life without a computer: what does it look like?
I spent about half of my life without computers as household gadgets. Heck, I still remember going to work with my Dad one Saturday at the computer room in the late 1960’s/early 1970’s; he worked in a frigid room that housed part of a computer. The allotted space for the whole computer was an entire floor. Dad remarked to me recently that my cell phone had more memory and processing power than that whole floor of computers did. Now, almost every room in my home has a computer in some form!
Life without a computer? I am fairly certain that I would miss some aspects of life with computers. I am also fairly certain that I would be less distracted. When I think about it, I carry a computer in my pocket (cell phone), wear a computer on my wrist (smartwatch), and use four for writing this blog: cell phone, tablet, laptop, and desktop. I work from and go to some meetings using a computer; I bank and keep track of retirement on a computer. Perhaps I would miss it more than I thought!
It is clear I would not have this blog and I would have to commute to more meetings. I would have to go the physical bank again! Analog thermostats and broadcast television would re-enter my life. I would have to write more notes to send via post. There would be some advantages; I would gain:
- Time with my family, talking
- Playing more board games
- Reading time for books (although I already read a lot)
- Dungeons & Dragons- in person, not online
- More walks
There are some ways that computers have made my life more convenient. I am more connected to the world informationally and more disconnected physically. I can pick and choose my siloed reality as many do without need to hear the voices of other points of view; that I would not miss at all! As with anything, changing this pervasive aspect of life would be a mixed experience, a challenge and a relief. I can adapt.
Infinitely Precious 