It’s a rude awakening when one realizes they are a servant and not really a free individual. The first time I realized it, I was a first time parent.   It occurred to me that I had gone to college, gotten a degree only to find myself a servant to a 2 month old’s every need – from diaper changing to feeding.   I mean seriously, how did my college degree prepare me for temper tantrums and poop emergencies?   It didn’t.

In many ways we are all slaves to certain things in life – many are important to our survival, like food/shelter and safety.   We have to be…our jobs allow us to be self sufficient and take care of these basic needs.   I have no qualm with this form of servitude.

However, in the digital age it’s becoming more and more apparent that I am now a slave to my devices.   The IPhone and Fitbit to be exact.   Twenty four/seven,  I have bells and chimes and vibrations going off in my hand/purse/wrist/pocket that tell me I must answer a call/email/text/notification/tweet or I need to get up and walk for 250 steps/move for 10 minutes or GO TO SLEEP!!!   Yesterday, an AMBER ALERT went off during my open house and three times gave me heart failure.   Thankfully, the child in question was found safely.  And on one hand it’s a great way to get info out to the most people possible!   But seriously, I had an anxiety attack when the buzzing went off.

I find my self in the gym watching the Fibit app on my phone as I exercise.  And with a frenzy I have never had before, I am walking or “ellipticalling” to get to 5000 steps.   I suppose this is good,  but I feel obligated to do it because if I don’t, Fitbit will be upset with me and I won’t get my stars or trophies.   I am nothing if I am not competitive.   Promptly at 10 pm it will vibrate and tell me it’s time to go to sleep and dutifully, I get up and go to bed.   I wonder what it will say to me if I don’t go to bed right away.   Will I be in Fitbit time out?   Will I be grounded by Fitbit because I’ve stayed up past my curfew?    What if all these electronics are some shadow entity’s way of controlling all of us?   What if by ignoring the digital directives, I will be put in digital jail?   Is all this digital information really making my life better or is it causing a new kind of PTSD?   Post traumatic digital disorder?  PTDD?  Or even worse Digital Disarray Disorder….DDD in which people cannot function without the digital directives.   I think this could be a real thing!  I sometimes feel like the Genie in Aladdin….with the wrist shackles that enslave him.

I know the IPhone and Fitbit are devices to help us in our daily lives and so many ways they do. But I think that we have become slaves to the screen.   We can’t tear our eyes away from it and it’s sometimes a detriment to our lives and psyche’s.   We don’t look up to enjoy the scenery because we are so busy trying to take a selfie.   People are falling to the ground because they aren’t watching where they are going as they walk down the street. Their noses are stuck in their devices.   And sometimes too much information 24/7 is overwhelming.   So good people, tear off the shackles of the devices and be FREE!   Be alone and disconnected for an hour or two.   Or a whole day.   I dare you.

Gotta go, I just got a text…..