Back in time

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Have you ever longed for a simpler life? A life less chaotic, with more time to enjoy the things that really matter to you? And have you ever thought that going back to an earlier time might give you just that? Well, I have...

And then I went on vacation to a place abroad that is in essence just as advanced as the country I live in ~ except that in this country the quietness is highly valued. The fact that there are not a whole lot of people around you. Which means that not many roads are necessary; and the roads that are there are country roads ~ two lane roads that bend from village to village, and curve around rivers.
Out here, a scenic route means that the road winds its way through a scenic landscape ~ not particularly that one can actually see that beauty from the car as tall hedges line the narrow roads.

It gives me a sense of having stepped back in time.
To a time and place without rush hour. To a society where drivers of slow traffic actually signal to help you pass them safely.

But there is another aspect of this stepping back in time...
While here too smart phones are wide spread, the internet is an entirely different thing. Which is surprising as almost everybody talks about using skype or a similar ‘voice over IP’ service. Yet reliable internet connections seem to be harder to come by than one might expect.

And it is at that point that I realize how wonderful the internet really is!

For sharing pictures on facebook, for sending an e-card rather than an actual ‘paper-and-envelope-card’ as the e-card will actually make it in time for the occasion. For keeping track of emails, and as such of what is happening in my ‘real life’ back home.

Now one can make the argument that it is a good idea to leave all that behind when on vacation. To really allow yourself some time away from it all... But does that really give the peace of mind we are after while on vacation?
I guess that depends... For some people it would, for others it might not.

All in all, stepping back into a more quiet, simpler time is not quite as simple as I thought it would be. It brings with it an entirely different structure, a different frame of mind to get things done ~ which in a way can be every bit as hectic as my regular life at home.

I guess the simpler, less chaotic perspective is ~ like so many other things ~ a choice to be made within oneself rather than for it to be found some other place or time...

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