The 70 Commandments Of Screens and Technology

70 thoughts on how to live a good life in our modern, screen-filled world

1. Never to forget that light feeling. When you’ve been away from your technology for a prolonged period of time.

2. Not to underestimate the slow, psychological poison of technology.

3. Not to chase the shadows cast by your screens at the expense of your life.

4. Not to rationalise excessive technology use.

5. To always, at every opportunity, choose the real world and not the digital one.

6. Your body becomes good at what you teach it to do. If you sit still while your mind is lost in the digital world, then your body shall atrophy. After all, sitting still hunched over a computer doesn’t require much muscle tone — so your body will not provide it.

7. Your mind adapts itself to every task, including consuming media. Watching videos will create a passive mind. Social media will create an unsatisfied mind. Internet browsing creates a distracted mind. There is no “this doesn’t count” or “I just do this to relax”. For your mind, every single thing you do becomes a part of you.

8. Not to forget — that human beings are not evolved to sit in a chair and watch screens.

9. Think of those you’ve seen in old videos or in poor countries. Their light, steady gaze and easy smiles. Then think of your own twitchy gaze and stiff smile. Ponder on what you’ve lost.

10. To notice the slow of time when away from technology.

11. Think of your screen-time in days prior. And realise that almost none of it can be remembered. Time poured into a drain.

12. To always approach technology with intention. This will be your anchor as the winds and whirlpools of the digital world pull on your precious attention.

13. The creators of technology who profit from stealing your time.

14. To switch everything off — and remember how it feels to be alive.

15. Even a perfect digital world could never be as satisfying as the imperfect one you were born into.