One thing I don’t like to complain about is screen time. I believe others complain about too much screen time, because of what they associate with the screen. Maybe it’s work they don’t like. Maybe it’s some software that frustrates them. Maybe it’s because they consistenly think faster than their computer. Especially in COVID-times, it’s kind of understandable that people are fatigued by their “screen”.
I like to think one step further, though. Computers aren’t just what we associate with them right now. Computers can do almost anything and therefore, screens can be your window to everywhere and everything. Today, using only my various computers and screens, I did all of these things:
- Watch a man-made rover land on Mars.
- Learn about the history of a coat of arms.
- Get to know nine new people from four different countries.
- Play a (wooden/paper) boardgame via webcam.
- Did a workshop creating a new process of collaboration for a project team.
- Interviewed two job applicants.
- Become a wizard and cast fireballs and mind control spells.
- Learned how to cook my dinner, with step-by-step video instructions.
- Travel to another universe.
Given sufficient curiosity, it’s hard to see how a screen can be something bad. But I get it. If you don’t know now to use it, you might end up refreshing your social media feed all the time. Don’t be that person. Be that other person, that owns a window to everything, and knows how to navigate that infinite cosmos of knowledge.