Offline, Online... and between it all? Balance.

Normally, this is just a landing place for me -- a stone in the river where I can hop if I need to remind my feet that there's something stable in the world. Assuming I become a Knight and a member of the clergy, I'll be around a little more frequently, but mostly just in relation to my duties. There's some merit to positing here, and maintaining yourself as a part of the community, but I think it's very easy to spend too much time on here (for me, at least, this is the case).

Ideally, my participation would be something like this: check in every day or so for important things (Apprentice's posts, clergy-related things) and post primarily in relation to those areas, with perhaps a few posts a week in threads that interest me. The only other thing that I really want to stay consistent with are groups like the ASL one, because that's something of active value for my life that also allows me to be social. If what I'm doing online isn't somehow making my overall life better then what's the point?

Locksley wrote: Normally, this is just a landing place for me -- a stone in the river where I can hop if I need to remind my feet that there's something stable in the world. Assuming I become a Knight and a member of the clergy, I'll be around a little more frequently, but mostly just in relation to my duties. There's some merit to positing here, and maintaining yourself as a part of the community, but I think it's very easy to spend too much time on here (for me, at least, this is the case).

Ideally, my participation would be something like this: check in every day or so for important things (Apprentice's posts, clergy-related things) and post primarily in relation to those areas, with perhaps a few posts a week in threads that interest me. The only other thing that I really want to stay consistent with are groups like the ASL one, because that's something of active value for my life that also allows me to be social. If what I'm doing online isn't somehow making my overall life better then what's the point?

Extremely well said. And I wholeheartedly agree.

Ha tough subject. I've been hunched over a keyboard since 1986 almost nonstop everyday (except for a few years in my 20's where I never had time to turn a computer on), so the distinction between on and off line for me is blurry because it was for a long time it was offline equal'd sleeping and online equal'd awake.

Definitely a type of imbalance, but yea I'd throw out a working definition of balance not meaning equal parts but equal load. And in terms of work capability growing then it might as well be equal rates of growth, which is harder to reconcile across different systems... but like most things its about being engaged in some consistent manner, with genuine focus, which I think which is most important. I'm tempted to think of a photography analogy and using the terms to relate

And all this it is still a real thing still for me since I do not use mobile internet devices like cell phones etc!!! So, in my circumstances the difference is making time to be offline and active in path related focus wherever possible. And so in that regard its easy because online becomes mental focus, and offline as physical focus. Luckily they tend to bleed over into each other to some extent if you let them but its not by chance IMO.... and they are each limited in those respects by the circumstance. To me integration of the leanings from each with each other is very important. I guess ideally they will merge in some cohesive manner and reinforce each other such that effort in one will exercise the other - a self balancing system as path!!!!

But as I look around when I'm in town, and I do worry a bit for people who use mobile internet devices, as it seems from an outside observer that being 'connected to ones screen' seems epidemic now even in physical activity such that the focus has become enslaved by streams of floatsum, like intravenous poker machines via the eyeballs :S

Adder wrote: But as I look around when I'm in town, and I do worry a bit for people who use mobile internet devices, as it seems from an outside observer that being 'connected to ones screen' seems epidemic now even in physical activity such that the focus has become enslaved by streams of floatsum, like intravenous poker machines via the eyeballs :S

I know some people who are attached to there phone in a rather unhealthy manner. But at the same time they are also the healthiest, fittest, smartest people I know

I have my phone with me everywhere. It keeps me connected to my children and there schools, it connects me to my husband, my family, ect ect and at times it gives me access to my stories, facebook and here this very temple. I have used it in hospital waiting rooms while...you know...waiting I have used it in the middle of work as our family friends daughter explained in detail about how she was sick and puked all over her tablet and was feeling very bored because she was stuck home sick. Ive used it at the park while switching between camera and pokemon....the pictures this phone has allowed for me to capture!!! Ahhh!!! The Birth of my children, their birthday parties, ice cream trips, the donut incident!! So much chocolate everywhere!!! LOL Used it to map out my Cayote Gulch trip, find family, get us un-lost during holiday trips....

.....And always finding time to spend it with my beautiful daughters. Its helped them understand lessons I struggled to explain, watching you tube videos about compound words and consenents, Vowels and dancing along to the silly little kiddie jigs. It's helped them when they were scared of the shots. It's helped them connect and bond with daddy through silly little golf games and trying to beat eachother.

So....Yea. I agree. People are extreemly attached to there phones. Some in a very unhealthy way....But some, not so much.

Trisskar wrote: So....Yea. I agree. People are extreemly attached to there phones. Some in a very unhealthy way....But some, not so much.

Ah, yeap, lemme clarify my post - its not that I don't use a mobile device because of its potential to distract, hehe, but rather its power output density is too high for my liking when connecting to a remote router. It hurts my head... but I would if I could!!