READING 2 Taking a Break from Technology

Taking a Break from Technology

Read the following article. Pay special attention to the words in bold. 5.3

Levi Felix has started a new kind of summer camp in California called Camp Grounded. Even though it’s only three days long, campers can get away from their daily routine and swim, hike, take yoga classes, and enjoy nature. Most of all, campers can interact with each other. So what’s so special about this camp? It’s only for adults. And there’s one important rule: Campers must not be connected to technology while there.

Many adults report that when they are on vacation, they aren’t able to stay away from their devices and often check their work-related e-mails. Even when out in nature, they may not take the time to admire a spectacular mountain before pulling out their smartphone to take a picture.

Levi Felix wants people to interact with each other, not with their tech devices. At Camp Grounded, campers are not allowed to talk about their jobs. They are not even permitted to use their real names. They have to pick a nickname. They are supposed to get to know each other as people, not through their professional lives. Felix hopes that campers can get to know themselves better as well.

Why do people have to go to camp to do this? Why not just unplug for the weekend? Many people say that they can’t control themselves when they have a device nearby. They know they don’t have to respond every time they hear a beep from their phone, but they do.

Felix is not against technology, but he thinks technology shouldn’t control us. We don’t have to give up our devices, but we need more balance in our lives.

A young woman paddles a kayak in the morning near Vancouver, B.C., Canada.