HORIZONS JULY/AUGUST 2018 | Page 11

SECTION ONE The impact is not just in our personal lives. In the new millennia, business never sleeps. We are expected to answer emails and phone call no matter what the time of day or night. Technology has made this possible and propagates the demand of round the clock availability. The conveniences technology affords us are many. But it’s also contributing to the decay of human interaction, and the stress of being “wired”, or connected all the time. There is a purported condition known as “cell phone separation anxiety” where people come unglued when they don’t have, or lose their phones. Who would have thought that there would be such a thing? When I walk into a movie theater or a restaurant and I see large groups of people staring at their phones all I can ask is, “Is this where we have evolved to as a society?” So, a word of advice… Unplug! Tell your kids to unplug. Set aside a “no phone” time in your house. Or, turn your phone off for a few hours every week. I try to shut my phone off, leave my laptop and get “off the grid” for a while whenever I can. It’s how I recharge my soul. I spend some time in nature, or take my kids f ishing and they leave their phones at home. Don’t let technology rule your life — take the time to unplug from the digital world and take good look at the real one. Or another season may pass you by. ### PHOTOS THIS PAGE COURTESY OF DAN STEFANICH HORIZONS | 07