Innocence #3

I'm still reading Innocence and they're still running around all over the place and Addison still has basically no idea what's going on but he's just going with the flow. I think that another emerging theme is that books are good to read and stuff, but doing the real thing is much, much better and a better experience. I think this is a theme in this book because it is constantly said in different ways in Addison's thoughts. I think this theme also applies to technology.

It applies to technology because yes, technology can be a good source of information. But the problem comes when we replace our lives with technology and consider it the same. I think everyone would agree, going to the Grand Canyon or Niagra Falls or some other place would be infinitely better than seeing a bunch of pictures of them.

So how do we change our lives so that we're living our life in the present and not technology? Well, the answer is pretty simple. Just turn off your phone or your computer, and go do something. Play a game of pickup basketball. Throw a ball in the backyard. Addison lived most of his life sheltered from society because he couldn't be seen by anyone. He had to try to replace his life with books, and what is he learning while he's being chased by people and chasing people with Gwyneth?

It's not the same as a book.

It's really not. Learning how to play baseball works better in a yard than on a book or phone. The same is true of your classes. You'd learn Spanish a lot faster if it was constantly spoken to you instead of learning it out of a textbook. So put down the phone and do the real thing for awhile every day.