"Cut the Cord"

Those old commercials promised freedom. “Cut the cord,” they said. Get rid of the cable, go wireless, stream whatever you want, wherever you want. No limits. No clutter. Just freedom.

It felt like progress, a way to move lighter and live freer. But somewhere between cutting cords and connecting everything, we tied ourselves up in new ways. We traded one line for another. The cords didn’t disappear; they just went invisible.

Now, everything we do runs through the air. Phones, watches, headphones, work, and even the way we rest. We carry it all, everywhere. What was meant to unchain us has, in a strange way, kept us on a shorter leash. Being wireless hasn’t made us free. It’s made us available, all the time.

And now there are apps and settings to help manage our “connectedness.” Digital wellness controls, screen-time limits, focus modes, all designed to help us cope with the very thing that was meant to make life easier. It is like prescribing one medication to neutralize the side effects of another. Instead of diluting the problem, maybe it is time to actually clean it.

History has a pattern of swinging too far before it steadies. We try to make something better, then circle back to what worked before. Vinyl after streaming. Handwritten notes after years of digital. Homemade meals over delivery. Online shopping giving way to buying local again. Phone calls replacing texts when we miss the sound of someone’s voice. Four-day workweeks replacing the capitalist grind. Even the rise of non-smart phones, a quiet rebellion against endless alerts.

The pendulum always settles closer to the middle.

I think the same will happen here. Maybe in twenty years, leaving your phone at home will not feel like rebellion. It will just be normal again. A quiet act of balance, not resistance. Not a reason to panic when your pocket is empty. Just a small return to stillness, a reminder that connection does not always require being connected.

And yes, the irony is not lost on me, writing this online about how we have gone too far. But maybe that is the point. Awareness has to start somewhere.

So maybe the next time you reach for your phone, let it stay behind. Plug it in, let it charge, and go find a little signal of your own.