I have been working for 11 years now. The first 2 years I spent in a bank. Doing trade finance operations. I used computer like a took back then. I used it to do my job faster and better. Circa 2006, I moved into I.T. Consulting because it was 'the place to be'.
Since then, my life has changed a lot. From being a people person who liked to go out and meet people, I have become a laptop & smart phone person. Having spent close to a decade in IT, I have started believing that a person can achieve a lot and 'get things done' through just a laptop and a data connection. Well, guess what, I AM WRONG!
This feeling has been fuelled further by all the on line utilities like paying bills, bank transactions, shopping, ticket booking and what not. You can even get entertained (or so you think) in front of the laptop! You almost feel like you can live your entire life in front of the laptop and not regret it at all.
I don't mean to blame my job entirely for it, since a lot of technology has changed in the last 10 years as well. However, being in the same industry that has driven this change, definitely adds up to my feelings.
It is only a false sense of control and achievement that the technology gives you. There are millions of other jobs done by billions of other people that don't need a computer and are as important, if not more! Using the computer and Internet as a tool is critical to success. But when one builds a life around it, the life starts becoming miserable. A lot of crop is grown, a lot of patients cured and a lot of houses built across the globe with minimal intervention from computers or internet. I feel small in comparison.
I have started becoming so anxious when not with my laptop or smart phone that I almost feel like I need rehab! It's time to hit the reset button. Could I reduce my dependence on the technologies?
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