Gluttony:
over-indulgence and over-consumption of food, drink, intoxicants or wealth items to the point of waste.

According to this definition in the dictionary, we’re all probably guilty of some form of gluttony…quite possibly for all of the above. At any given time you can probably look around a restaurant and see many supersized plates of food, libations of numerous varietals, and heads buried in smart phones. We are glutted with goods!

High technology has certainly saturated our lives, quite possibly even more than trans fats ever did! The question is how hazardous is it to our lives and to our relationships?

One day while patronizing a restaurant, I witnessed a chorus of chimes ringing out in unison, causing everyone to frantically find their phones. We are like a pack of Pavlov’s dogs…when our phones ring we salivate. Must we be on call (literally) all the time?

Honestly, I’m surprised there hasn’t been a 12- step program developed entitled, TAA: Technology Addicts Anonymous.

Too much of anything is not good, even fruits and vegetables…right? While our lives have benefited in many ways from technology, I sometimes wonder if these electronic devices are now remote controlling us instead of the other way around.

We are so used to instant everything — instant news, sports stats, directions, phone numbers and games all literally at our fingertips. Very handy, except when it ties our hands. So many toys, so little time. Do we need them all? Androids, Blackberrys, Kindles, Nooks, iMacs, iPads, iPhones… iDon’tknow!

Have we reached a technological tipping point?

How about we consider a trip back to the basics, instead of to the future?! Somehow that sounds so refreshing and appealing: family dinners without cell phones, playing a board game or cards on the floor, not on the computer. Sitting around telling jokes with friends instead of merely sending them as a ‘fwd.’ in an email. Visiting with friends in person or on the phone to catch up, instead of creeping on Facebook.

There’s something to be said for what I call, ‘the black and white days.’ Things certainly weren’t perfect back in the ‘old’ days, but when you heard the word ‘instant’ you’d think coffee, not information technology. This instant connection we now have with the entire world I fear may be causing a bit of a disconnection with what is truly important in our lives…the people who matter most.

Looking down into our phone can cause accidents. Staring at the computer or the TV causes us to miss our kids dancing to a song, our lover trying to communicate with us, or our parent telling us a treasured memory.

Our lives will continue to fly by at 1.2 gigawatts unless we choose to unplug and go back to the basics from time to time. Unwind, rewind, refocus and it all becomes pretty clear. I’d say it’s pretty black and white.