Deus Ex Machina

Translation:

God from the Machine.
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Some background...
The Latin phrase deus ex machina comes from Horace, where he instructs poets that they must never resort to a god from the machine to solve their plots. In Greek tragedy, a crane (mekhane) was used to lower actors playing gods onto the stage. The idea is that the device of said god is entirely artificial or conceived by man.

And now, to the show...

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Fact. Technology is supposed to be a tool. A method of controlling our environment, to A) speed up tasks and eliminate inconveniences in order to B) free up our time to pursue the things that matter.

Fact. Many of us do NOT get from A to B. We stay forever at A. Technology dictates to us and we respond, spiralling into it for no purpose but to get more of it. Toys for the sake of toys.

Fact. I have allowed myself to integrate into the norm which says this is ok. And now? I'm quitting.

No, I'm not going Amish and giving up technology entirely. In fact, I ADORE certain aspects of technology. (Cue relieved release of breath...yes, bloggy will continue.) I'm just quitting one specific piece of technology.

The... dun-dun-DUUUUN...

SMARTPHONE.

Now, hear me out. I'm not judging you. You may not have a problem with your phone dictating your life. If that's the case, I congratulate you heartily and wish the rest of us were more like you. Gold star. For real.

But for the rest of us weak mortals? It wakes me up in the morning. It reminds me to check in on the lives of hundreds of people I never see. It is constantly buzzing, blinking, begging me to look at it. And the worst part is I respond without even thinking about it. That's how integrated into my life it has become.

There is something to be said for compartmentalization. It's a healthy thing to be able to FOCUS ON ONE THING AT A TIME FORTHELOVEOFGOD.

"But Alex," you whimper, "why are you picking on the smartphone? I mean, damn, there's all kinds of technology out there."

I'll tell you why. Because this little instrument has become a god. We turn to it for everything. Literally everything. If I had a penny for everytime I heard (or said!): "I'll never go back now that I have a smartphone," I'd be...well, rolling in pennies.

The phrase "There's an App for That" shows the nature of modern man's mind. We live in a world where we would much rather lower the idol from the risers to resolve our play problems than walk out of the theatre altogether and face the real world.

For the next few weeks, I'm going to chronicle my attempts to extricate myself from my smartphone. (Something that is JUST as hard as it sounds.)

I don't want to miss life simply because of the god from the machine. And really, who thinks it's a good thing to live in a world where we can't stop working even when we're "with" our families, where 8-year-olds use media devices to entertain themselves about 7 HOURS a day, where we PAD LAMPPOSTS in London because of "texting-related injuries" or a grown-ass man falls onto freaking train tracks because he was looking at his phone.

I don't want to be that grown-ass man. Do you?

We'll see if I can do it. "Once you get a smartphone, you'll never go back."

Challenge Accepted.