Original Magic: The Rituals and Initiations of the Persian Magi - Michael M. Hughes 2018

Descreening and Unplugging
Self-Care and Resilience

I have always been a technophile. As a kid I loved the original Star Trek TV series, but I never believed I’d someday be carrying a communicator and a tricorder in my pocket. It was too science-fictiony. We may not have made it to other planets, but we sure got the toys.

Of course there is a terrible downside. We see it every day—humans walking along the street or standing in line or riding a bus utterly lost in the little rectangles of plastic and glass.

Don’t be one of those people.

Learn to unplug. Set a time—two hours before bed or even a whole day once a week. Pick up a book. Invite friends and play a board game. Turn your phone off (not just to vibrate) and do your daily shinrin-yoku.

Better yet, learn to be aware of how often you pick up your phone for no good reason other than boredom or out of habit. Then force yourself to not pick it up. Extend those periods of awareness. Look around you instead of staving off your need for gratification. Pay attention to the people, the conversations and noises, the birds, the clouds, the colors and shapes and shadows. What are you missing when you mindlessly scroll through Facebook status updates or tweets? Life is scrolling by, too, often with its own important updates.

Become mindful of your use of technology. Take back control and become its master, or it will master you.