The Joy of Flying Naked

I just completed 10 days of intensive rehab from dependency on my iPhone.

Over the past week-and-a-half, I never once checked email, voicemail, or even went online. I "flew naked" and, frankly, it was incredibly liberating.

I went to the beach; caught some good waves; got too much sun; enjoyed Joseph Conrad's" Heart of Darkness" and Christopher Hitchens' "Thomas Jefferson"; and, escaped from the "real" world.

Having stopped cold turkey, I was waiting for signs of withdraw: that I might venture to the hotel's business center for a "quick look" or borrow my daughter's iPod Touch and log-on. It never happened.

Now don't get me wrong. Flowers didn't suddenly start smelling any rosier or my paella taste any better.

Still, I did feel much more in the here and now. My mind didn't wander to events that I couldn't influence from afar. I was in the moment and the place; things that have been increasingly harder to find since all of this technology got a hold of me.

On the return flight, I relished the peace and tranquility that had temporarily become my life. While everyone around me was anxiously powering up just as the plane touched down, I delicately closed my book and enjoyed the journey to the gate: feeling that I had discovered Nirvana and was superior to these poor souls, so dependent on their devices.

But then it hit me: we are not wired for perpetual harmony and bliss. The Hindus themselves realize this only masks boredom and pointlessness.

Flying naked for a while is something I recommend we all should do. But in case I am ever tempted to get too far from reality, the 295 unopened emails and 25 new voicemails are helping to keep it real