Jack Hollingsworth
DCL
Is it just me, or do we all get sucked into our own digital worlds far too often? I embarked on a trip to Washington, DC,for the inauguration and found myself chatting with strangers left and right. Not to necessarily imply that this is out of the ordinary for me, but it was happening much more often than usual while I was in D.C. Everyone was abuzz, connecting with each other because of a collective excitement for the new president.
A lot of times, doing good for the environment comes down to getting back to basics and communications are no exception. A lot of my days slip past me before I realize I've spent the entire day looking at a computer screen, a tv screen, or have simply gotten distracted with text messages throughout the day.
So here's a challenge for you that will help you make new friends, deepen existing friendships, and cut down on your electricity bill all at once:
Spend more face time with people.
Use the topic of the new president if need be to strike up conversations with strangers when you're grabbing a cup of coffee or in an elevator. Most people, after all, have an opinion about President Obama. Instead of chatting away with your friends all day on AIM, ask them to meet you for a good ol' face to face conversation somewhere.
It's important that we don't lose touch of what it feels like to communicate with another person without technology being involved. After all, there are ways to connect with someone without having to plug a cable into the wall.
Try to step outside of your normal communication zone this week and see how good it feels to kick technology to the curb; even if just for an hour.
