Being off the grid means a lot less stress in life, and you really don't miss all that much.
We are perched next to a mountain lake in the Adirondacks. We've had no cell service or Internet for over a week. All of the radio stations are in French, except for one weak Vermont Public Radio signal that comes and goes. Today, for some reason, the phone beeps and says I have a message. Turns out, we have one bar of service, provided I prop up the phone just so, outside on a picnic table.
I am guessing I didn't miss too much while I was out-of-the-loop. Some bad news happened, and Trump sent an outrageous Tweet to distract everyone from what was really going on - right? I'm clairvoyant!. And the media - even the liberal media - like an obedient lap dog, made Trump's tweet the top story, even as they admit that the whole point of it was to distract from..... what was it again? Nevermind, back to the Tweet!
Public radio goes so far as to have a hand-wringing session where they talk about their complicity in this sort of thing. How ironic - by doing so, they further distract from the real news.
Howabout this? How about reporting real news, and not things based on Tweets, Reddit postings, YouTube viral videos, or Facebook likes? Just a crazy idea, I know, and it might involve leaving the desk and going out and researching things and talking to real people, not just barfing up wire service stories or press releases. It might mean taking control of the news instead of waiting for something to happen on the Internet. Fake news exists, because news organizations have become passive, and wait for a story to land in their lap. And nefarious forces love to throw stories in their laps.
I harp a lot in this blog about unplugging from the media. There is no need to see the latest releases, hear the latest songs, wear the latest styles, or hear the latest news. All becomes clearer with time - what the actual facts of a news story are, what styles and music are timeless, and what was a regrettable fashion trend.
The good news is, since I am not paying off my credit card balance daily, I have a small balance (no interest payments, though!) and this increased my credit score. How funny - they want you to be in debt, and reward you for doing so.
Anyway, back off the grid for another week - no electricity, no water, no sewer, no internet, no television, no phone - not a single luxury. Well, other than an RV with a furnace, hot water heater, generator, air conditioner, refrigerator, stove, bathroom, shower, and a solar panel.
Hey, I'm not that crazy! We have technology. No need to live like a refugee.
