From Mike Rowe:
What Carlos Learned After Spending Seven Weeks Without ScreensI read a story the other day about a guy who had become concerned that he was developing an unhealthy addiction to his iPhone. His name is Carlos Whittaker, and unlike me—another guy who has become concerned that he has developed an unhealthy addiction to his iPhone—Carlos wanted to see just how profound his addiction was. So, one day, Carlos left his phone at home and went off to live with Monks and Amish farmers for seven weeks. He went “cold turkey” in other words. Then, he wrote a book about it. Also, because Carlos is a curious kind of guy, he had some scientists scan his brain before and after he ditched his phone, just to see if there was some physiological evidence that his iPhone was turning him into a mental case. Turns out, there was.
Carlos’s iPhone was making him unhappy, and Carlos is not alone. Millions of people are now addicted—not to their phones, necessarily—but to feeling of control they perpetuate.
The book is called Reconnected—How 7 Screen-Free Weeks with Monks and Amish Farmers Helped Me Recover the Lost Art of Being Human. I read it, and asked him to talk about why he wrote it, and how is life changed as a result. His answer is this week’s conversation, and I think it’s worth your time.
Even if you watch it on your iPhone…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wi1J0Xlw5QA00:00 Carlos’ realization of his screen time
10:03 The first 24 hours without a phone
20:34 The value of solitude
26:08 Living with monks
43:09 Living with the amish
55:11 Why Carlos gives a damn about creating community
1:06:51 Tips to becoming more human
