2016 Winter January 6 Wednesday

37 degrees this morning (feels like 28 degrees)., no walk, light rain, still some coughing.

Wednesday already of the first full week of the new year.  This year is flying by, just like 2015 did.

I will be glad to get back to walking and listening to books again while I walk!  I really enjoyed my routine of walking, swimming and biking and can’t wait until I get back to it.  

I think the combination of listening to the books, and having time to just randomly think while swimming and bicycling etc.  was probably as good for me as the exercise was!   

I have been seeing more and more articles (or maybe I am just more aware of them) on the “value of boredom” and the negative effects of 24 hour per day stimulation of smart phones, instant tv etc. and just never having any time to randomly think or plan.  

If “self-drive” cars become a reality, that is “true” self-driving cars, we will lose another opportunity to randomly think while driving, since as the car drives, we will be expected to work, read etc.  instead of driving the car with at least some time to just think.  

Actually, I get some of my best “work” done while exercising or even just taking a nap.  I may not actually be doing anything as such, but I am mulling over things and frequently develop ideas for action, or am able to develop plans etc.  

I think so many of the “emergencies” or problems we fell we have “today”, are not really emergencies, or even important, but just avoiding boredom or having to think through and develop action to resolve real problems.  

Perhaps the 24 hour stimulation we have now is just a way of avoiding problems.  If you can immerse yourself in a tv show (or for me, a book etc.), it is simply a way of avoiding facing the real problems in your life.  

Actually, I think it is healthy to be able to be able to avoid thinking  about pressing problems for brief periods, but not all the time, eventually you have to face and resolve your problems!  

I have absolutely nothing against technology, in fact I love it, although I think we don’t think of the negative consequences of it enough, or, for that matter, even the consequences of it enough. 

I realize change is going to happen no matter what, but that doesn’t mean we have to just accept some of the negative aspects of change, we can develop a means to deal with change.  

The other day I saw a “news story” (which of course i realize may or may not be true), where  a company was requiring employees to use “cards” to use the bathroom to monitor their bathroom breaks and taking action if they were more than six minutes per day!  Obviously this is taking technology too far!  

I think the same think of companies that monitor keystrokes etc. Sometimes they use technology to the point where they are dehumanizing people and, in my opinion, such “supervision” is a lazy way of management, since it appears the managers are scared of employees and don’t want to take the time to really manage employees.

Anyway, I realize there is the other side, that people spend time on personal activities on the internet, visiting etc., so there is a reason for using technology, but, like anything, it just gets taken too far sometimes.  

Back to “boredom” etc., I remember how I feel when the electricity goes out, or I am on an airplane etc., waiting to see someone without anything to read etc., and the sudden panic at having to just think!  Don’t know if I can call it a “panic” but the thought is there.  

Anyway, almost every time, I find something to value in the “downtime”, even if it is just a good idea on how to deal with downtime!

That’s it for now, Wednesday, January 6, 2016.