I think not having the internet for so long has helped me in breaking my addiction to materialism, well, to the internet at least. I thought I'd die not having the internet for such a long period of time, but I actually got used to it fairly quickly. Granted I still had access to my email and things through library computers and kind friends; but I lost the steady flow of information I receive from having my own connection. To start with I kept thinking "Oh, if only I had the internet I could look that up", but after a while I just became content not knowing things. I am thinking that perhaps I have developed an addiction to information; I'm not sure if that is a good or bad thing…
The result of this is that I now feel less reliant on my PC, I feel less tied to it. Although it's a fantastic means of communication, and provides me with vast amounts of information, it's good to go without things every now and then. Not being connected for that time has helped me put in perspective some of the other aspects of my life; to appreciate some of the things I may have missed before.
Funny you say that: A not so good friend of mine is addicted to MSN, all those internet website things i.e. Neopets and had a community of friends online, some he knew in real life some he didn’t. But when the computer broke he was forced to find other things to do with his time, for example he started cooking. From what I’ve heard he was a happier person on the whole, but two weeks later when the computer was back he was back to his addiction… All I can say is in whatever field you have to take things in moderation, eating a balenced diet has been known to help. I think this is true with all things - its ok to pig out on chocolate one day as long as its not everyday. Its an old philosophy of yours Edd, Just take a step back and look at your life. Should you be doing that ? Is it healthy to your mind/body?
Yep. It’s amazing what you can find time for when you put in the effort.