Life without a laptop

It is easy to get used to things. Very quickly. I was introduced to the computer and the internet in 1997 and some would say, thats fairly late. I took to it with some trepidation. But once I took my dive into the corporate sector, discovered the joys of preparing wonderful presentations of powerpoint, of writing long-ish mails to friends, all now connected on email- it just seemed like a wonderful accessory to have.

And now- I do not consider it an accessory at all! I think it is an absolute necessity. I moved houses a few days back and was not connected to the net. I felt lost, almost like a ship without its rudder or its power. It really felt like I couldn't do anything. I was not connected on mail, I was not connected to the news, to my friends, to this blog- nothing!

Nothing. Complete emptiness.

The thing is- I was so disoriented I didn't even want to pick up a book and read which is something I could very well have done. Clearly, the computer and the internet have become an inextricable part of my life. And more so with each passing day, I am becoming more and more entrenched in the wired world. Some people bemoan the fact that the more we work on a computer, the more individualistic we become and less social. I have found the reverse to be true. I have been able to get in touch with old friends courtesy google, have been able to trace some who I lost touch with completely. The only catch is this- courtesy all this communication on the net, I tend to communicating less with people on snail mail. But in the list of people who are not connected to the net, my parents are the only ones I am really concerned about. I am glad that at least I am having the discipline to write to them once every month. The art of letter writing, conventional writing is clearly dying out and I do not want to be a part of that breed.

But I cannot imagine my life without a laptop and an internet connection, I far cry from just a few years back. Things change and so do we. Hopefully, for the better!