William Powers is a wonderful speaker as well as an effective, new-aged philosopher. After reading the article about his book, I was super excited to watch the video where he talks about the book and what went into making it. I love the way he used the words "connected" and "disconnected" and was astonished at the realization that there really aren't many people who are "disconnected" these days. In the video, Powers talks about being in the park and seeing some people talking on the phone, others texting or doing something else on their phones, and then there were people who were just holding their phones, "waiting for the summons beyond." This was interesting to me because more often than not, I find myself doing the exact same thing. I just hold my phone and wait for the next text message or phone call or email. I don't realize how silly I probably look doing that, but it seems second nature to me.
Anyway, what I liked about Powers' philosophy was his agreement that technology or "connectedness" is good and helpful, as well as his argument that like all things, "connectedness" has to be balanced. We have to learn to balance our time with technology with some time without it. And, although it may be difficult, I agree with him that everyone should try to set some time aside where they put down their smartphones, unplug the internet, and use that time to build and maintain relationships with their families. Powers and his family, started a ritual where they unplug their computers and modems on Friday nights and spend the weekend without internet. He admits that before his family began to do this, they weren't as connected with each other because they were always "running for the screens."
I would like to see more people adopt this philosophy. If more people did this, I'm sure their would be some major societal changes. Powers got his family back, so we can do it too!
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