Xtreme Connectivity

I have never ever been the cool,gadget-loving yuppie - I have always taken a long time to start using/get used to gadgets. My husband, on the other hand, loves gadgets of any kind, right from crazy barking and jumping alarm clocks to the iPod. He can spend hours together fiddling around with his gadgets, searching the internet and resolving problems, leaving his weekend tasks to pile up until I took them up and completed them in desperation. The last 2 weeks, he has been mulling over the idea of buying a smart phone for himself. He had a pretty archaic mobile,the possession of which might have caused many a young yuppie go beet-red with shame. We went shopping on Saturday and he got himself what he wanted - But at the end of it, I was wondering about the wisdom of our purchase - The arrival of his new smart phone meant that he was permanently "connected" - or should I say hooked? - 24 by 7.

When I was growing up, my parents had regular 9-5 jobs. They would be home by 6 PM and then the entire evening was 'family time'. In fact, the telephone was the only "connecting device" in those days and I don't remember that either of my parents got too many work-related calls after their work hours. When I started working, things were pretty much the same. The work timings were extended, but once I got home, I was cut-off from work except in emergecy situations. And then the mobile revolution happened - despite the obvious advantage of always being connected, the disadvantages were also ours to live with. Work almost always came home because anyone could easily reach you at the push of a button. 5 years after they arrived, the mobile phones have made a huge dent in the quality of time spent with the family during evenings and even during weekends. Of course, one might say, it is a choice that we make. But then how many of us make that choice?

Then came the era of sleek laptops, fast internet access and cheap broadband connectivity. With such facilities, how could one not be expected to check emails in the morning, before one starts from home? And so we bade goodbye to tranquil mornings and got "connected" for the updates on work.

And now with the advent of smart phones, you can check emails while on vacations, while you are commuting to work in the mornings or even when you are at dinner with family - WOW! Where has technology taken us?

And we continue to yap on about work-life balance, stress-busters, the benefits of yoga, weekend get-aways, vacations et al, when all we need is probably some "unconnected" time to relax.