Someone just used a word in the movie
I'm watching that has become almost completely impossible.
Incommunicado.
When was the last time you were out of
communication, literally unreachable, for more than a few minutes?
Probably a very long time ago.
Between cell phones, e-mail, voice
mail, the internet, video conferencing and all the rest of it, it's
effectively impossible to separate completely from the people around
us. Think about what you'd have to do to get away, really away.
You'd have to notify those closest to
you. Many of them would be upset by the idea that they couldn't
reach out to you at a moment's notice. You'd have to let them know
where you're going and how long you expect to be gone. There would
have to be some compelling reason for you not to take at least some
form of communication with you, even if you wouldn't expect to be
able to use it.
You'd need to set an “Out of office”
auto-response on all of your e-mail addresses, or at least those
likely to be used by people who you would choose to respond to.
You'd need to explain to your employer that you really won't be
available if an emergency should come up.
And then you'd have to find someplace
to go. The ocean's no good, because you can't go anywhere on the
seas without GPS and a radio these days, even if you wanted to risk
it. Most islands are at least moderately inhabited, or inhospitable
in the extreme.
There are such places, of course, but
getting to them is difficult. You would have to figure on walking
in, or going by bicycle. Anywhere there are roads, there are people
and communication. So this is not really something available to
most. Serious hiker/survival types only.
But you will find yourself out there,
somewhere, watching a sunset because you have no need of doing
anything else. No other humans to call you away from what you seek
to see. It's a nice idea, and one that appeals to me, some.
I think I'll find a way to do that, on
a small scale. Turn my phone and router off. Stay home with the TV
off, just me and paper and books. Lay in a stock of goodies, figure
out some way to simulate a roaring fire in my apartment, and cut away
into incommunicado.
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