Addiction

When my daughter-in-law married my son, I told her that she would never have to worry again.  I worried about everyone.  And that was true.  I worried whether there was a reason to worry or not.  Sessions with counselors, marvels of modern medicine, and other help have made me very well and a lot healthier. I do not fear a tenth of the amount I did in the past.  However…

I am worried, and not just for opium addicts, vapers, cigarette smokers, and those hooked on various drugs. There is a new addiction that has been around for years.  It used to be benign, and people would use it or not.  And anyone could walk away from it at any time.  Now, these modern marvels have been changed so that you will use them more, with less of an ability to succeed, and an endless stream of ads and side ventures that take you nowhere.  I am talking about video games.

Video games are getting people to sign up for free and then quickly stealing them away from other and more essential tasks to play games all day.  Add in multiple social media channels and an endless supply of videos and movies, and pretty soon, the user has no motivation other than watching the next kitty chase the laser beam or other wasteful time consumers.

When they talk about losing a generation, it is a real tragedy. This epidemic actually holds the ability to work across generations and wipe out whole areas of potential growth and new ideas. This is something we need to focus attention on before we end up with more problems than we have answers.

This week I will share ideas and thoughts on how to enjoy activities on the Internet without losing yourself to endless staring at the screen.  These ideas are just suggestions of things that might help.  The real work is what you do with them.

Thanks for being with me today. I hope to be with you again tomorrow.

Author: Mike Balof

A retired Air Force Master Sergeant, Mike used to lay in bed at night and worry about what would happen if his plant closed or found himself without a job. One day his plant closed. Rather than panic and hysteria (OK, maybe a little) Mike found himself carried away on the adventure of his life. Mike started with the best job he ever had working at Home Depot. He spent 8 years working with job seekers at a local workforce center, helping them to find employment. He then started his own company developing courses, writing books and urging others to follow their own paths into the future. Mike holds a Master of Arts in Adult Education and Training and a Bachelor of Business Management, earned through the University of Phoenix and an AAS degree in Electronics Systems Technology from the Community College of the Air Force. Mike is a member of the Delta Mu Delta Business Honor Society. View all posts by Mike Balof