Well I finally made it! I went one week without using the internet. What did I learn about from this little silly experiment after the end of this whole ordeal? The internet can be very addictive and can even cause withdrawal symptoms like drugs and alcohol. There were a few times I found myself very irritated for no reason. I had an antsy feeling all over my body. I wanted that hit even if it was only small.
On a more positive note, I did get a lot of personal things done. Before whenever I was bored, I would use the internet to kill the time, but without it I found myself more focused on my personal goals; writing my screenplay and learning Japanese. I also spent a lot of time watching movies and just reflecting on my life in general.
After I finished the experiment I immediately went on the internet but after I was finished with the daily checking my email and facebook I had the urge to get off. There was nothing left for me to do on the web, whereas before I would just find stuff to do. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against the internet. It’s a power tool that helps connect us to the rest of the world. We are so dependent on the internet these days that I can’t imagine living in a world without it especially in the United States. With that said, here is a day by day recount from my internet less days:
Day 1:
Today started out pretty well. I had some stuff to keep me busy throughout the day so it made it easy for me to avoid the internet. Once I got home, I watched the Gold Medal Hockey match with the U.S. and Canada. Unfortunately we lost. After that, I was left wondering what to do. I started to get slight urges to surf the internet but instead I decided to spend some time going through Rosetta Stone to continue my Japanese lessons. I had nothing to do after that so I decided to take a little nap which lasted an hour. When I woke up, I grabbed my laptop and headed over to Star Bucks to work on my screenplay. An hour later I came home and ate dinner and watched some more television and then went on to do another hour of Rosetta Stone. After that, I was bored as hell so I called up my friend and chatted with him for awhile. Overall it wasn’t too bad. I didn’t have any major urges to use the internet. I’m already discovering the vast amounts of time I have on my hands to do other more productive things. I almost feel like I’m back on ship in a way.
Day 2
Alright, day two completed. I’m already feeling like I’ve been disconnected from the rest of the world. So far I didn’t have any major urges to use the internet. Like yesterday I had some activities to keep me busy throughout the day. I went to the library to work on my script. Without being occupied with the internet I noticed I had more focus with my writing. Later on during the day, I played some golf with my mom which kept me busy for another two hours. Overall I’ve been using my extra free time to study Japanese and catch up on some movies. I’m surprised I’m not suffering from any withdrawal symptoms yet but then again it’s still too early on in the experiment.
Day 3
I am slowly starting to experience some withdrawal symptoms. There are only so many things you can do during the day before you run out of stuff to do. I have a tendency to use the internet to kill the time. It’s my drug towards apathy. I spent about on hour working on my script and probably spent a total of about an hour and a half learning Japanese. To kill more time, I went to take a walk around the neighborhood to get some fresh air. On a more positive note, I am becoming more aware of my situation with life in general, something I’ve been avoiding for some time. With no job plus the fact that I have to be conservative with my money, there isn’t really much I can do besides reflect on life. It’s ironic because it was the total opposite when I was on the ship. You work every single day without a day off leaving very little time for any meaningful reflection. There’s a saying: “People always wish for what they can’t have, but when they get it, it’s not as good as they imagined.” This was one of the many lessons I learned while working on a cruise ship.
Day 4:
Major withdrawal symptoms this morning. I feel like I’m disconnected from the rest of the world. Much more focus working on my script without internet. Bored as hell with extra free time on my hand though.
Day 5:
Today was pretty decent. I didn’t have any major urges to use the internet. I am starting to notice my focus is becoming stronger with my studies and writing. I spent most of the day working on my script plus studying some new Japanese Kanji. Two more days left with this little experiment. My mind has become clearer. I can’t believe I haven’t checked my facebook or email in such a long time. Sometimes I believe we have become prisoners to new technology. We have become so dependent on it, that we can no longer live normal lives without it. Sometimes I wonder how my grandparents’ generation was able to go about their daily lives without the conviences that we have today.
Day 6:
I’ve been irritable for most of the day. Tomorrow I will be able to use the internet. One more day to go.
Day 7:
I MADE IT!