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Remembering the Human Spirit in a Digital World
Balancing the benefits of digital media while keeping life simple.

There’s plenty of information and entertainment to absorb today. Besides news and books, we have podcasts, social media, streaming networks, and digital newsletters, to name a few. The numerous choices are beneficial but can also leave us overwhelmed at times. Where is the happy medium between reaping the benefits and avoiding the overload?
Lately, frustration has led me to streamline my digital activity. Besides reducing my time online, reminiscing about past experiences also influenced change. There’s something to be said about retrieving information from a library, much like I did during my school years in the 60s and 70s.
A quiet library with card catalogs of books that might hold the details needed for your homework assignment. An answer may be between pages of a thick reference book. Or the process may take longer. A librarian directs you to another section to look further. Perhaps reference material may get sent from another library. Imagine that? Waiting a couple of days for what you need.
Compare that to an online search, and see some similarities. Jump back and forth from browsing web pages instead of card catalogs in reference departments. The difference is there may be too much data to decipher on our own accord, compared to the library, where you can have an assistant help narrow the search. As we make online discoveries today and appreciate the convenience of technology, let’s remember that NOT everything needs to be discovered at such a fast pace.
Stay offline for several hours and talk or laugh with friends. Relax, sit in a comfy chair, feet up on an ottoman, and read a paper magazine! Go to the library or a bookstore. Listen to a favorite podcast, but skipping them some days is okay. Read emails and newsletters, but it’s alright to skip over some and delete them. Life goes on if we miss a podcast or story or two.