Getting Out of Touch

"You're out of touch."

Most people consider that an insult.

Tisa's Barefoot Bar, American Samoa in November, 2010

However, in this rapidly advancing technological world where cell phones have expanded to instant messaging and constant access to broadband internet via mobile devices, we are losing those free moments of escape that we used to take for granted.

Walking to the post office the other day, I passed a young guy behind the steering wheel of a new BMW convertible. Next to him sat a beautiful girl spreading sun tan lotion on herself. It was a bright, sunny day in a beach city, but the driver was too focused on his text message to notice any of it.

At least he was sitting at a red light while texting, although I've almost been run over on many occasions by people checking their e-mail while driving around a corner and over a crosswalk I occupied.

Gdansk, Poland, July 2009

How many times have you met friends for lunch and lost half their attention to their mobile device?

At a family dinner, someone will get a text or an e-mail that calls them away, if indeed there is a time when everyone can get together for dinner.

Don't get me wrong. I love this technology, which allows me to use call-forwarding and my cell phone to take care of necessary errands without leaving my office phone unanswered.

But how often do we really need to check our e-mail? And will it really matter if we have lunch before we find out the meeting for next week is cancelled?

We are losing the ability to be PRESENT, and I truly believe being in the present moment is a key to happiness and self-actualization.

Wes at Smuggler's Cove, Tortola in September 2009

On a cruise, we still have access to cell phones and the internet onboard and in port. However, it comes with a per minute charge that helps those with impulse-control issues (and isn't that all of us these days?) resist checking mobile devices every 60 seconds.

Escaping the worries of the world comes at a price, but I think you'll find yourself truly relaxed, possibly for the first time since Y2K turned out to be a bust.

Find yourself in paradise.