Zoned out - Cutting of the virtual leash

You know, I'm a zoner-outer. I will suddenly take a long pause and for that entire instance won't know what happened. Conversations will fly past me. I won't know. I realise now how important it is to consciously disconnect. You are constantly being bombarded with information, some of it is completely irrelevant and yet I see myself think, over thinking it. One day I decided to go offline and for a week. Not to be out of coverage and helplessly be deprived. But just uninstall twitter and facebook. I didn't feel the need to reply to my emails.

I have an obsessive need to reply to messages. It was after realizing that the world doesn't revolve around my replies, my IM's and my phone was oddly comforting. Anyone who wanted to get in touch with me knew how to do it anyway, how did it matter if I didn't return messages?

I like how not paying attention opened me up to seeing things beyond the prescribed. I cut my virtual leash. I've used the words virtual leash on more than one occasion, to the discomfort of many, we're on a virtual leash. I'm not obligated to reply to every text. I don't think we exercise freewill when it comes to things that matter.

So when one week i decided that enough was enough, that facebook had to wait that twitter had to go, I didn't think I'd be able to do it given how much I do on both these places. But it was very liberating. Even now I make it a point to keep away from Facebook for a few hours of the day when I am awake.

I find it oddly comforting to know nobody depends on my Facebook presence, (yes I mean that sarcastically). We believe people want to know what's happening in our lives, no they really don't. Nobody wants your opinions, nobody is getting motivated by your quotes or whatever. We're doing all of it to tell ourselves we're happy. We want to check in all the places we go to validate our own actions. I had this epiphany one day and suddenly everything about my interaction on social media changed. I stopped thinking my sharing information somehow enriched anybody's life. If it did, great. The purpose stopped being people.

I hear 'Maggie, I found this from what you'd shared' which is okay. But I no longer feel the need to do it. That's after cutting off my virtual leash.