Dialing Back in Time
There was no telephone in our home in the 90s; it was some kind of a policy of the company where my dad worked - the residential landline was allotted after a certain seniority or designation. We(mostly Mom or Dad and sometimes all of us) used to walk to the club reception to make phone calls. The operator (named Latif) used to come to our home on his bicycle to inform us if we had a call from some relative. He always used to come with short messages like when the caller was expecting a call-back or if there was an emergency call.
We never felt the need to have a telephone at home, although it was arduous to walk to the reception on cold winter nights just to make a phone call. It wasn't far though, just a block away. Maybe, there was never much need. It was enough to inquire about the well-being of all relatives once or twice a month.
When the telephone was issued finally in 2002, the gap was shortened to once a week. It didn't become overwhelming; it was a new-founded relief that we didn't know could exist.
Then we got the Internet and our once simple yet amazing computer now allowed us to connect to our cousins in Dubai. Chatting, hmmm.... fancy!
Then one day my dad brought home a tiny Samsung mobile phone in 2003 and since then our lives have been climbing the graphs of complexity, more steeply since my first smartphone in 2012.
There's never enough time for anything.
I don't know how I used to read a 300-page book in a day while manually checking the meanings of words I didn't know, in a fat dictionary.
Now I just have to type or say the word and I get access to the meaning, synonyms, antonyms, parts of speech, and whatnot.
And yet...
I don't have enough time...
I know I have bigger responsibilities now but even then in my free time, I'm not able to do much...
With so much information just a few taps away, it's easy to fall into the trap of jumping from one thing to another and forgetting midway, what we were supposed to do in the first place.
I am reading something, I get a notification from another app, I stop midway and switch to that other app, and then again something comes up and the cycle goes on.
New users say Steemit is outdated, but I love its simplicity.
I'm not distracted by a pop-up notification every time somebody interacts with me. Yet, I think I've never missed a comment or an important discussion/thread. Sometimes late but I eventually get there - because I want to, not because I'm reminded or it's imposed.
This makes all the difference.
I love to have 'no direct messaging system'. I believe it would have affected the engagement. I want you to talk to me under the posts and have meaningful discussions - I don't want hidden and pointless chats unless you've become a really good friend then I can simply drag you to other medium for contact. But I still think it's more fun catching up on-chain. 😉
I'm not saying the interface doesn't need improvement, I'd love any interface that's distraction-free like life was before 2000s.
Nor do I promote stone age, I only wish for moderation in technology in this era of Reels and Shorts.
So not ready for the next virality.
I remember @anroja mentioning that he avoids screen on Sundays when I was knee-deep in Steem stuff. I found this practice appealing and thought to implement in my own life one day.
Well, I haven't achieved that but since the past few months, I've been trying to cut my screen time by reading books, playing board games or screen-free games with kids, going on a walk. I'm even bugging my husband to find me a paper guy. I have this strong urge to start reading newspapers and magazines again. The smell of freshly printed papers... 😌
While penning down my chaotic thoughts into this unorganized post, I had a wild imagination which I should name - Steem Unplugged.
Here 'unplugged' is not a slang but is used in the literal sense. Although, I love the way Steemit is - an advanced technology presented in a humble way.
But what if we had to do Steemit when there was no computer? I know it's wild, I can't think of a substitute of on-chain engagement but I can't stop imagining receiving tangible steem coins in my mailbox and sending some to a couple of authors whose posts I liked in this month's issue of Steem Paper.
No, I'm not crazy... I just miss simpler days.
I was hoping to be productive today since both my kids were at school but turns out my train of thought went completely off track.
Loved it. Would love reading more from your side that feels nostalgic😶
Literally recalling my childhood days when days used to be so long and productive. We were so active physically and always preoccupied with things to do or visit our neighbours.
That we never had these terms:
I never heard anyone saying i don't have time to do that or this
This era of technology in the form of reels and shorts have reduced our attention span. We can't even withstand a video of 2minutes(though I'm not in this We).
I got my first smart phone in 2015 and simpler days ended in that year too.
I also like steemit for the fact that it doesn't impose things on us like: replying back instantly or being available 24/7.
Ufff kya zamana tha purana❤
Same pinch. Since this writeup, I can't stop thinking about other stuff exclusive to simpler times.
I might write something more.
Yesterday, while I was on the track for my evening walk, I was annoyed at my mobile phone, moslty on myself, thinking, why couldn't I leave it back at home (my home is just across the road), my kids were playing right in front of my eyes, husband was at golf with his friends and yet I felt anxious of departing from the device, what if something happens back at my parents' or it could be anything, what if I'm needed and I'm not reachable. Although, I was out for maximum one hour. What could have happened in that short period.
I wasn't even using it but it was in my hand like an essential part me.
It's not a big deal for many people but these little things annoy me so much. This dependency...is suffocating.
😍
I can relate, it is FOMO(fear of missing out). They have trained my minds this way for the fast two decades. We think qayamat could come back if we forget to take that flat piece of good and evil with us.
A few years ago when i was in my college i used to walk on my rooftop while holding my phone and listening songs.
Now i walk for like half an hour or more but without my phone. Like my phone is just downstairs. Does that count an achievement:p?
P.S: i go blank thinking my day or a part of my day without mobile. Where have we headed?😯
Curated by : @patjewell
Thank you patjewell aka kind lady:)
You can't be productive when you talk to me for an hour on phone. Lol. I'm to blame for yesterday's non productivity.
Yes, the time! a precious commodity! Sometimes I feel there is no abundance (barkat) of time. You have reflected on a very important thing. It's like the more modern we become, the less time we have. It should be the other way around. Machines should make life easier and give us more time, but that's not the case. We are becoming lazier and more dependent on this technology. And still, we have no time.
Kids were already back by that time. So it wasn't you. 😄
I was torn between writing something and reading the next chapter of the book I'm currently reading. This self-battle explains the contents of this post.
That's exactly what creeps me out. Sure, the benefits outweigh but I'm afraid of this dependency which is slowly limiting our capabilities.
I've never lived without a phone, so I can't report any change as a result of this achievement. I was also one of the very early users of mobile phones - at that time still in a box with a handset on a cord ;-))
By the time my children arrived, our lives would no longer have worked without mobile phones. If there's only one bus a day and the child misses it, it's out in the sticks and has to be picked up...
I don't deny the benefits and the fact that how much easier our lives have become because of technology. I have seen the life without phones (but as a kid), now I can't imagine a day without one.
Having said that, every great invention comes with its own set of repercussions. I'm mostly worried about lack of time, creativity and concentration.
Your post feels really heartfelt and nostalgic. I loved hearing about the times before phones became a part of everyday life and how technology has made things more complex. Your take on Steemit's simplicity and how it reduces distractions really resonates with me
I was reminiscing a lot of incidents from that era and was tempted to include everything in the post.
When I was 8 or 9, I went to the club reception with a friend and we made some prank calls. Later that day, the operator came to our homes and complained to our parents; we soberly denied all his allegations. I still don't know how he found out it was us. 🤣
I've never been a mischievous kind or a rule-breaker but I don't know what got into me that day.
P.S. Steem is unique. 🙃
TEAM 1
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Curated by : @patjewell
Thank you for the support dear @patjewell.
Pleasure! 🎕