Technological Advancements in the Area of Timewasting

I have now broken the pattern of "post, poem, post, poem." Oh well. You can read a full collection of my recent poetry by clicking here.

For such a staunch freegan, I sure do waste a lot - of time. Have you noticed that things that are meant to make our lives simpler have taken us over? The huge machine-powered industries that produce our food (and destroy our planet) make human lives no longer centered around the gathering and preparation of sustenance. And so then we need something else with which to fill our time, so why not make more machines? And it goes on and on, until each gadget we had to help us morphs into an entertainment piece, like computers and cellphones. Not to mention the time-filling machines with no other helpful purpose, such as video game consoles and the television (though, of course, it can be rightly argued that they do have another purpose - that of enslaving the minds of the masses to a certain veiwpoint).

We've even gotten to the point that we'll talk on our cellphones while in the bathroom or in a dumpster. :P

Free time is a valuable resource, and now that people have so much of it (thanks to technology), there is so much we can do with our lives! And for people freed of the "rat race", like myself, that's even more time that can be used in a positive way (like to help others or share time/life with friends). But I have found myself sucked into the vortex of cyberspace time and time again, wondering, where did the hours go? While I was at the Rainbow Gathering, I imagined all the great things I was going to do when I got home, like focusing on learning more on the guitar, or in Spanish, or even just to read more books. But then I get on the computer to "check my email" and find time just slipping out the window. It's easy to justify myself, to say that I spend half of my time volunteering at the soup kitchen and the house, so how I spend the rest of my time is my business. Sure, it is. And it's also my life slipping away. Well, perhaps next time I write, I'll speak a little more of the language I want to learn. What, tu no me crees???

Blogging Blues

Another thing I spend valuble time on is the reading of other blogs. Sometimes it makes me sad, wishing I could write more wittily, like my favorite cartoonist, Dan Pirarro. Or I wish I had a lot of followers, like my good friend Suelo. I think, "I'll try to be more personal and frequent, instead of writing like the informative, but only monthly, JC Newsletter." But then I think to myself again, heck, I write the same stuff in my paper journal and ask people not to read it, so why does it matter if I get read online?!?

Back to a philisophical viewpoint - The whole above paragraph is another indication of the need to release any attachments I have... Particularly the attachment to my ego, pride and the wish to be read.

If you haven't noticed, I have found a name I thought might work, but I am still open to more suggestions!!!