I'm heading off the grid for a few days. I've noticed as I've gotten older that quiet, solitude, and complete 100% immersion in nature is SO important for my health. There is something we
can get in nature that we can't get anywhere else. I don't know about you, but there have been MANY times where I plug along in life, do the daily routine and wear myself out just by living, that I often feel like I need a breather and to escape just to rest and recoup.
The hubs and I had the opportunity to go to Six Flags this past week and noticed that kids these days can't handle being off their phones for more than a couple minutes at a time. Literally. We were in line for the Medusa roller coaster and the teens around us were all on their phones almost the entire duration of the wait time. We got on the roller coaster, which only lasted two minutes, and
as SOON as we got off, every teenager that was on the ride with us was back on their phone texting, Snapchatting, Instagramming, etc. I don't know how they do it! I've spent WAYYYYY more time on social media in the last month-ish than in my entire life, and my eyeballs literally feel like they're going to pop after being in front of a screen for that many consecutive minutes/hours.
My fear is that as these kids grow up, they won't be able to handle a life without electronics and
whatever destructive implications come from that. Not only does being on electronics 24/7 not allow people to really KNOW themselves and evolve as human beings (because they are constantly distracted by their phone), but there have been studies done showing how too much screen time can cause physical health implications for eyesight, physical fitness, and a variety of other issues.
I'm choosing to raise Sophie in as balanced of a world as I can stand - a happy medium and balance of electronics, and using her brain to tap into her own imagination and creativity. She gets REALLY upset when I take the electronics away, but she'll understand in the long run why that was necessary. My hope is that parents begin to see the damage that too much electricity does, and will begin giving their kids the gift of disconnected, off the grid time.