Tuesday 1 September 2009

Internet Addiction Disorder

is a serious ailment, my newspaper (HT) tells me.
Instead of checking into rehab ,
come to India to kick the habit.
The moment you realise you are losing control
and start getting hooked
to the mouse and monitor,
you should rush off to the world 's first rehab center
for Internet junkies in the US.

The program offered is suitably called reSTART
(I would call it reBOOT too)
It promises to make suffering surfers
"normal" again by disconnecting from the cyber world for
45 days.
Cold turkey with yoga, nature connect,
development of social skills and discovery quests.
But at $ 15,000 it can rather heavy on your pocket.

Internet junkies in India need not be alarmed.
The good news is that frequently
interrupted electricity supply
bumpy Internet connections
and fluctuating voltage
(and archaic puters like mine)
( Just kidding - we have the very latest computer technology actually)
restrict us from checking our email accounts.
Internet for most of us is more
hot dog than caviar.
Just as India is a health tourism destination,
it should also become the chosen (read cheap) destination
for IAD treatment.
But you 'll have to surf the net to see
what the completion is offering.
Today we only had a 4 hour electricity supply.
Power went off at 10am.
Came back at 1pm and
vanished at 5 pm.
Just got it at about 9pm.
We have a small battery
operated invertor
which operates the fans and light bulbs
(and the telly - Mom 's soaps)
can' t run the puter
other heavy appliances on it.
I can 't imagine being without an invertor.
Many people from a lower income group don 't
own this device
and life is difficult for them.
But I should add many people don 't even have
a power connection, specially in the rural areas.
***************
On a different subject,
I read on someone 's blog that in the West
people don 't have locks on their car gas tank caps.
I was really shocked to hear that.
Here everybody locks their gas tank caps.
We locked ours and yet a guy was stealing petrol from
our car by crawling under the chassis and siphoning it.
My Dad got the tank reinforced.
And leaving garden ornaments outside, that 's another story too.
In a drought stricken village in Gujarat,
only one well has a little water left in it.
So they are now locking the well
to make sure everyone get
their equally rationed H2O

21 Fertilize my soul:

Charlotte said...

Hi Amrita,

I'm going to enjoy reading your posts. Your are correct, we don't have to put locks on gas tank caps to keep people from stealing petrol. Not yet at least. Most areas of this country are pretty safe places in which to live. Free of crime in this land of plenty.

Someday of course that could all change in a blink of eye, if I read my bible correctly. blessings to you and yours!

In Jesus name,
Charlotte

Sherri Murphy said...

Love the cartoons. So true.
\
I will post your potato recipe tomorrow. Thanks Amrita.

Felisol said...

Dear Amrita,
I think I am in control of my PC addiction.
But, like one of your posters says; some of my friends live in it.
My world and my horizon has expanded because of you and other blog-friends. I certainly wouldn't miss ou on that.
Because my near and dear family and friends need time too, I have to prioritize a dozen instead of flying all over the net.
"Knowledge in depth" our old Encyclopaedia Britannica calls it.

Poverty makes people steal.
Need knows no boundaries.
The Indian people are on the same, if not higher moral level as the westerns.
We are lucky who do not have to sin to stealing to have a better life.
These last few years we have been invaded from East Europeans who'll go to our junkyards to steal, and the cheap Norwegians keep guard over their junk and then pays great money to Sweden to get rid of our waste disposals.
It's so depressing.

Like the guys in the parable of Jesus with their talents.
I often wonders how this use and toss and not share society will end.
From Felisol

Olde Dame Penniwig said...

A lot of places in the U.S. have problems with gas stealing. Most cities have this problem, and certainly on college campuses. Worse even than stealing, I think, is that sometimes we have to have the locking gas caps so that malicious people do not put contaminants in the gas tank to ruin the engine.

I hope your electricity will be more consistent in the autumn! This is awful, to keep having it go on and off -- very disruptive, and gives an uneasy feeling. Who can settle down and feel peaceful and relaxed when suddenly the electricity goes off?

Mel Avila Alarilla said...

Hahaha, they now have rehabilitation centers for computer addiction. I don't think it is needed at all. People can regulate themselves. Yes, car doors and gas tanks are not locked in the West unlike in impoverished countries like ours where people will steal your car even when it's locked. But I am shocked to know that people have to lock their water wells. Wow, that's one for the books. Never imagine that water can be so scarce that other people will actually steal water from someone else water well. Well, that's life. Thanks for the post. God bless you always.

Sita said...

No one 'people' on this earth are more moral than the other. Our hearts are all the same--in darkness until God invades with His light.
Here in TO with so many cultures bundled up together, it is becoming prevalent to lump people together attached with negative stereotyped behaviours. The easiest way to 'break this' is to invite people into our homes and hearts..and realize we are all human with flaws...

Our different circumstances bring out different behaviours..or shall I be blunt...sins...there but for the grace of God..goes I...

It would do us good in the West to have a 'fast' from technology ever so often..
hey, love the cartoons...isn't it weird how practices in other countries strike us as "wow, how can they do that?"

Mark said...

Enjoyed reading the post... keep those gas tanks locked up!

Dick said...

With all that power failure you won't get addicted to the internet, lol
We lock our gas tank cap but here on Texel it is not really needed.
My car locks it automatically, no worries then.

Lyndas recipe box said...

I just found your blog through Sherri of "Everything in Moderation". I love what I see!
Love the cartoons and your post. We don't lock our gas tanks, but once in awhile I hear of someone having gas stolen here.
God bless!

Sincerity said...

The Bible tells us that in the final days things will become more desperate in all the world. I guess its only a matter of time before we here in the US start seeing more of what you are already familiar with.

But God is so good and faithful to you and your mother. May He continue to bless you and use you as a tool for his name. God bless you both!

Jo's-D-Eyes said...

Hi amrita,
How are you ?
interesting things you are writing about, since the summer, I was not much online, too nice the weather outside was, now I'm sick (having a flu) so I have more time to visit you, I hope you are doing well? take care:)

Bye greetings from JoAnn Holland

Becka said...

Now I would say thats funny but my husband would say I need to come over for 45 days, lol
(maybe its not so funny)

passing-thru said...

Blessings Amrita --

Mae said...

hello Amrita... you are an encouragement to me...thank for too noticing my blog

Saija said...

you always bring up interesting stuff ... plus sharing our different worlds ... so sorry that you are having to ration hydro!

re the stealing of things like gas ... well someone stole my lovely hanging plant in august ... and the large city that we live an hour away from - it is notorius for car theft & bicycle theft ... sigh ... things get stolen, just different things ...

The Dementia Nurse said...

Greetings, Beautiful Amrita! I have missed you during my absence from Blogland!!! I had to smile at this post - my daughter spent three months in Bangalore over the summer and got a new view on many things we take for granted here. Hope you and your precious mother are doing well!

Connie said...

I wanted to comment on your newest post but found no 'post a comment ' to click on.
So....am posting on this one,LOL..
I so enjoyed the
post with all the different modes of transportation.You did a great job taking those pics.
Happy Birthday to Abner give him a hug from me,please... :-)

Gerry said...

Interesting to hear how an Indian approaches computer addiction. I finally had to give up TV as my eyes could not take the computer, books, and TV. I need my eyes so I had to give up something. I hate our commercials. I don't miss them. I don't even feel tempted to peek at Doc's cable anymore. I have time to walk more, go play pool. I was raised until I was 15 without electricity or running water in a remote ranching community in Utah. I never worked so hard in my life. I was ready for modern conveniences. We were practically as primitive as the storied Anazazi who have left their mud dwellings all over our cliffs there. The only thing we didn't do is grind our own corn! Gerry

Terry said...

oh amrita!
this is exactly how i felt when bernie and i were away and it was very hard that we didn't have an internet, although we each had our lap tops with us!
once or twice we were at a spot where we could use it,
funny thing is though, that when we finally got home, i couldn't even put it on...do you think that i was unaddicted?
well good by unaddicted and hello addicted again!
i am getting caught up and loving it!!...love terry

Mrs. Mac said...

Wow, I had a 'hard time' getting use to a power outage due to a lightning storm a few weeks ago .. can't imagine how it would be to have the power go on and off through out the day .. and mostly be off. You have opened up my eyes to other places in the world Amrita. Years ago the car makers put locks on the gas tanks .. and/or you had to open them with a button from inside the car .. I was rather shocked when we bought a new car years ago and the locking device wasn't a feature. I don't drive much anymore.

Amrita said...

Thank you my dear friends for responding to this post.

I am actually suffering from Internet Stress Disorder , if there is an ailment like this.
Today( Sept 7th) the lights are going off so frequently that staying online is like taking a trip to the moon in a hot air ballon!!!.

I have a slow connection too and some blogs which have a good number of posts per page and widgets and lots of sidebar stuff take a very long time to open and I get a warning saying 'opening this script will slow down your computer, do you want to go ahead ?" And I say Yes, bcasue I want to visit my friend 's blogs. Then I reboot the computer and start all over again. My hard drive and maybe OS is outdated. So I get ISD.

Anyway, last week Internet celebrated its 40th birthday.Although in its infancy it was not the way we have it.It came of age in 1990.

Its true friends what you say about the link between poverty and crime. Poverty strips down morals many a times.

Jesus was so merciful when confronted with the woman caught in adultry, He bent down and wrote something in the sand and her accusers all left. He is our shelter.

I want to welcome Charlotte and Lynda my new friends. Thank you for visitng my blog and commenting. God bless you.I enjoyed visiting you.

I am so glad for your visit Gail and Passing Thru. Good to see you blogging again. We missed you.

Abner lives in Lucknow, our state capital - 5 hours drive from here, but Sonia sent me a piece of his birthday cake, sweets and snacks with a friend, so Mama and I could have a long distance party.