I'll have to be brief, as my time's running short. Chris dropped me off at Jackson Lake State Park early Tuesday morning. What is it with Tuesdays??!?!?! I immediately realized I'd left my cell phone in the car, and the rest of the day was spent trying to contact people and reading/ chilling out. The weather was perfect, and overall it was a nice, calm day. Chris drove back up from Denver, brought the cell phone, hung out briefly, and I wrote in my journal and slept.
The main thing about that day was the realization that despite my best intentions, I'm still tethered to technology more than I'd like to be. Initially, the thought of not having the cell phone was horrifying! I almost couldn't fathom not having one, then I realized my thinking was WAYYYY flawed-even if I couldn't help it!
Do you ever think about just HOW dependent we are on cell phones etc.? There was a time not so long ago when people KNEW their friends phone numbers, and could rattle them off! Or at least had them written down somewhere. When I went to call someone without that phone and could remember NOT ONE NUMBER, I realized that the theory in Technopoly is dead-on: with every new technology we lose some skill and some aspect of self-reliance. Makes me wonder about how "progress" is defined!
Think about how helpless we'd be if EVERY kind of technology we depend upon were to suddenly vanish. We'd be simple prey. A free man isn't a dependent one; adapt or die! We tend to look upon earlier generations as 'ignorant'. Really? Or are WE the holders of real ignorance? I'd be happy to have that debate with you.
How's that for doom & gloom?
I did alot of thinking about the bike trip as well, and how the 'first day' went so well, only to drop off the next when things got a bit challenging, and took the attitude that every challenge is part of the story. I was happy that I got to finish Don Quixote and send it back w/ Chris too.
That was one other thing: about 1/2 mile down the road from the drop off I had a LONG list of the extra crap (like electric clippers) I had in my bag that I simply did NOT need! Lesson: stick to the essentials! Comfort items become uncomfortable on your back, and slow you down!
In retrospect, it was probably the best way I could have started.
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