My life as a graduate student and young professional has been hectic and busy. Suddenly, I find myself in a kind of social experiment where I’m gradually losing contact with my primary sources of information and entertainment.
It all started with not having a TV anymore. I moved to another apartment where cable was not included, so I decided not to pay for it — I’d have little time to watch it anyway.
Although I missed some stupid shows, especially during weekends (I barely remember what those are), missing the news is what bothers me the most.
But that was no big deal. Everything seemed to be going just fine. Classes, rehearsals, studying and practicing — everything demanded focus and time management, but all was still well.
In the middle of all that, checking news on the Internet, following up on e-mails and Facebook was enough to keep me wired into what we think is life, as shared by Internet and satellite connections.
This is how life is now, and I’m not just saying that because I’m a tree hugger that wants you to believe TV is bad because I can’t watch it and have made peace without it.
But my “liberation” didn’t stop with TV.
For various reasons, some concrete and some not, I stopped reading news websites in the morning during breakfast.
During all those times I was reading online news, I could have read a textbook for a morning class discussion that was one hour away from breakfast.
Then again, maybe I wouldn’t even do that. But just sitting with my coffee without looking at a laptop screen is good enough.
But as I told you, I’m not advertising a peace of mind by a passive, contemplative life. Life for us is everything but that.
On top of TV and the Internet, I haven’t checked my Facebook in three weeks — which is really becoming a survival experience. However, there’s nothing really wrong with my life so far.
Apparently, for a long time I was giving more value and paying more attention to things that are somewhat important — but not crucial.
Moreover, not only can I focus more on all my tasks and appointments, I’ve realized it would be impossible to do if I were putting my mental efforts too enthusiastically into the sorrows of Egypt or Bahrain — although I admire what’s going on in those corners of our interconnected world.
The dynamics of your emotions and mental impulses change when you — voluntarily or forcefully — give up being “connected.”
For this short period of almost one and a half months, I feel differently about many things, especially people I know — and for the better, I have to say.
I’m not suggesting you engage in this extreme practice.
But I certainly recommend reflecting on the necessity of being connected and wired all the time. We already are in one way or another anyway, so there’s no need for cables and satellites.
In my life these days, everything revolves around music.
But I will go deeper into this adventure. I’ll try at least one week without Internet and then, even more dangerous, another one without a cell phone.
If I don’t get fired, I’ll come back and tell you how it went.
 
Marcelo Vieira is a 33-year-old jazz cello graduate student from Brazil. Follow him on Twitter
@TDR_MVieira.
 
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Contact Marcelo Vieira at
[email protected]