The Old Money Book

We’ve spoken many times on this blog about backing off social media, limiting your daily screen time, generally retreating from the internet, and conversely connecting more often and more fully with people and the world on a face-to-face, realtime basis.

I think we all agree that these practices can lead to a richer life as well as limit stress.

What I really enjoy is when other writers (so often more entertaining and articulate than me) confirm my infinite wisdom. (Wink, nod.)

Such is the case with Pamela Paul, editor of the New York Times Book Review. Her own latest book, 100 Things We’ve Lost To The Internet, dives deeper than I normally do on this important subject.

And that’s critical. Only by investigating and articulating the subtle but often large impact that outside influences have on our minds and our lives can we recognize them and adjust.

We can retreat from chaos, misinformation, and overload.

We can regain our privacy, solitude, and even boredom. We can educate our children about the danger of too much information and not enough contemplation. We can safeguard them to a certain extent. We can nourish them with alternatives, like conversation, physical activity, and social engagement.

So, here’s to reading more books…and less surfing online.

• BGT