健康生活:遠離電子設備是福還是禍?

I am constantly reading thoughtful oPinion pieces urging people to turn off their electronic devices and retake control of their lives. Let your email pile up. Deep-six all social media. Turn off your phone. Stop tweeting. Cut off the outside world, get in touch with your inner self, release your mind from all that tension. Just chill.

我常常會讀到一些頗有見地的觀點文章，呼籲人們關掉電子設備，重新掌控自己的生活。這些文章說，不要理會堆積成山的電子郵件，也不要去管社交媒體上所有信息。關掉手機。不要再上Twitter。切斷與外界的聯繫，與內在的自我交流，把心靈從重重壓力中釋放出來。放鬆一下。

True, these Don't Worry, Be Happy suggestions are almost always issued by out-of-the-loop baby boomers who do not text, are not on Facebook, hate email and would never dream of owning a smartphone. But just because a baby boomer suggests something doesn't automatically mean it is wrong. And since I am a baby boomer, and since I deeply resent the all-pervasive intrusion of electronic media into my life, I have started to take these suggestions to heart. Last week, my wife and I went to the Connecticut shore for a brief vacation, and before I left I turned off my phone and stuffed my laptop in the closet. For the next four days I would refrain from reading my email, checking my phone messages or eyeballing any incoming texts. (I am not on Facebook, because I dread to find out what my kids are up to in Virginia Beach.) For the next four days, I would seal myself off from the world.

沒錯，這種“別擔心，開心點”之類的建議幾乎都是出自耳目閉塞的嬰兒潮一代人之口，他們不發文本信息，不上Facebook，討厭電子郵件，也從沒想過要擁有智能手機。不過，不能僅僅因爲某個建議是嬰兒潮一代人提出的就說它是錯的。鑑於我本人也屬於嬰兒潮一代，再加上我痛恨電子媒體對我生活的全方位滲透，我已經開始認真考慮這些建議了。前段時間，我和妻子到康涅狄格州的海邊度了個短假，在我離家之前，我把手機關了，還把筆記本電腦收進了壁櫥裏。在接下來的四天裏，我決定不讀電子郵件，不查手機短信，也不看我收到的任何文本信息（我也不上Facebook，因爲我害怕發現孩子們在弗吉尼亞比奇(Virginia Beach)都做了些什麼）。在接下來的四天裏，我會讓自己與世隔絕。

The initial results were fantastic. I enjoyed every second on the beach, which gave me time to clear my head and read four books and wax philosophical about the meaning of life. By the time our sojourn was over, I felt relaxed and refreshed, ready to go home and take on the world. Abstaining from electronic interfacing had eased the tension in my neck, packed up all my cares and woes, turned me into a new man. The Luddites were right: Life was not only possible, but was actually better, without email, smartphones, texts. The whole experience made me realize how foolish I was to succumb to the tyranny of technology.

iStock短信沒有及時查看會有什麼樣的後果？一開始簡直是妙極了。我享受着海灘上的分分秒秒，我終於有時間理清思緒，我讀了四本書，並且從哲學角度思索了人生的意義。到假期結束的時候，我感到很放鬆，感覺神清氣爽，爲回到家裏重新面對世界做好了準備。禁用電子產品減輕了我脖子的壓力，把我所有憂慮煩惱都打包帶走了，讓我整個人面貌煥然一新。反對科技的盧德主義者(Luddites)是對的：如果沒有電子郵件、智能手機和文本信息，我們不僅能夠生活下去，而且會過得更好。這整個一段經歷讓我認識到，自己一度屈從於科技的暴政是多麼愚蠢啊。

Then things turned sour. When I got back home Sunday night I found out that the police had been trying to reach me all day Saturday because someone had broken into my home and stolen my car. The thieves stole all my art, my wife's jewelry, two priceless Martin guitars and most of my Los Lobos CDs. It took hours for the cops to get the alarm system turned off because nobody knew the code. The neighbors were really steamed.

不過之後情況就開始變得不妙了。週日晚上回到家的時候，我發現警察週六一整天都在試圖與我聯繫，因爲有人闖進我家，偷走了我的車。小偷偷走了我所有的藝術品，我妻子的珠寶，還偷走了兩把貴重的馬丁(Martin)吉他和我收藏的大多數“灰狼一族”樂隊(Los Lobos)CD。警察們花了好幾個小時才把警報系統關掉，因爲沒人知道密碼。鄰居們都很惱。

That wasn't all. One of my oldest friends emailed from London to say that he was stopping by New York on his way home to Australia but would only be in town Sunday afternoon. I hadn't seen him since 1989. But I wasn't checking my email so I never found out that he was in town till I got home Sunday evening. By that time he was gone. Maybe I'll catch up with him on his next visit in 2035.

這還沒完。我的一個鐵桿老友從倫敦給我發來一封電子郵件，說他返回澳大利亞時會在紐約短暫逗留，但只有週日下午在紐約。我倆1989年以來就從沒見過面。但由於我一直沒有查看電子郵件，所以我直到週日晚上到家時才知道他來紐約了。而那時他已經走了。下次他再來的話就得到2035年了，或許到那時我們能有機會見上一面。

My broker left a phone message Thursday morning saying that Apple was going to win its lawsuit over Samsung on Friday, so I could make a killing by going long on Apple and shorting Samsung. Particularly if I tapped into the home-equity loan and leveraged up. But I had to do it right away or miss out on the chance of a lifetime. Unfortunately, I had my phone shut off. My dreams of retiring to Aix-en-Provence are gone. Now I'll have to retire to Aix-en-Poughkeepsie.

我的股票經紀人週四早晨給我電話留言，說蘋果公司(Apple)週五將贏得與三星電子(Samsung)的訴訟，如果我做多蘋果，做空三星電子，就可以大賺一筆。要是我動用物業套現貸款，增加槓桿比率的話，恐怕能賺得更多。但我必須立即下手，否則就會失去這千載難逢的機會。不幸的是，我把手機給關了。我退休後到法國普羅旺斯地區艾克斯(Aix-en-Provence)居住的夢想破滅了，現在我退休後只好去紐約州“波基普西市艾克斯”(Aix-en-Poughkeepsie)了。

Friday afternoon, a local radio station emailed that I had won 16 VIP tickets to see Springsteen in September. Plus backstage passes. But I had to respond within 24 hours. No dice. Running through my remaining texts, phone messages and emails, I found out that I had been asked to appear on 'The Tonight Show' but had to fly out Friday morning, and had been invited to attend a fantasy rock 'n' roll camp hosted by Prince, Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton, but needed to confirm my attendance within 12 hours.

週五下午，本地一家廣播電臺給我發來郵件，通知我贏得了16張9月份斯普林斯汀(Springsteen)演唱會的VIP入場券，外加後臺通行證，但我必須在24小時之內回覆。可我沒法回覆。在翻看餘下的文本信息、手機短信和電子郵件時，我發現自己曾受邀參加“今夜秀”(The Tonight Show)，但必須在週五早晨乘飛機出發，我還受邀參加由王子(Prince)、佩奇(Jimmy Page)和克萊普頓(Eric Clapton)主持的夢幻搖滾營，但我必須在12小時之內確認參加。

Last but not least, Prince Harry texted over the weekend to invite me and my wife to a party in Manhattan. Somehow, the royal family found out that my wife was a British C.P.A., and Prince Harry was having a costume party where everybody had to dress up as a British expat C.P.A. Pippa was going to be there, too, as she had once considered a career in accountancy. But I wasn't checking texts or emails or phone messages while I was on vacation, because I was trying to relax, unwind, get in touch with my inner self. Now I am in touch with my inner self. And my inner self is an idiot.

最後，哈里王子(Prince Harry)週末期間發來信息，邀請我和妻子參加在曼哈頓舉行的一場社交聚會。英國皇室不知怎麼發現我妻子是英國註冊會計師，而哈里王子準備開一場化妝晚會，每個人都得穿成駐外英國註冊會計師的樣子。皮帕(Pippa)也會到場，因爲她曾考慮在會計行業工作。但我度假時沒有查看文本信息、電子郵件或手機短信，因爲我想放鬆放鬆，減減壓，與自己的內心進行交流。現在我接觸到了內在的自我，但我發現內在的自我是個大笨蛋。