Never before has the use of time been as much in our control as in this day and age. With the absence of wars and famines and the arrival of more and more time-saving contraptions over the last two centuries, people in industrialized nations are finally in the enviable position to be able to decide what to do with a good chunk of their time every day.
But choice has never come easy. What is the best way to spend the time, for instance, saved by shopping online instead of pushing one’s own cart through the ailes? Let’s say it amounts to about an hour a week that can be “gained” that way.
Suddenly, everything seems possible: a thirty-minute pilates workout, singing, yoga or maybe cranking out some home-made bread...
However, usually we simply end up doing more of what we’re doing already. In this case, we are most likely going to use that time to bounce around the virtual world a bit longer. We might check our mailbox, pay a quick visit to e-bay, or see what’s new at itunes. Or we may want to stop for a hand of poker, read the Financial Times, or watch a replay of last night’s game.
After all, it’s right there and most likely it won’t require a shower once we are finished with it. Virtual is quicker, cleaner and can be quite gratifying. That one hour has suddenly grown exponentially in it’s output. Instead of making one phone call to tell my friend that I am doing my groceries online now, I can post it on facebook and tell the whole world.
But just as the car brought everyone mobility and thereby the option to live farther away from work and extended family, what is happening today with every hour that we invest in a virtual environment, we are removed from the actual place that we inhabit.
We can be virtually anywhere and it’s up to us to make the best choice.
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