MatangHari Blog

Posted on May 3, 2013

2 years in the making, I really want to have my own blog, I was not allowed to talk to my friends and afraid to mingle with others fearing to influence them unwittingly , free from worries with concerns to others, living undigital.

I’m doing a case study about myself without gadgets,mobile phones, facebook as much as possible.

I began to notice something about myself and the others with our relation to digital world it seems like we can not live without these techkits, we are not complete when we don’t have with us our gadgets and we feel uncomfortable without them with us, a status symbol even in reality you don’t have the capabilities to have the expensive one.

LSS (last song syndrome) from the song of John Lennon “Imagine no possessions,I wonder if you can” it always remind me to be simple and not to complicate things. (Different from the kind of previous life i have –aggressive, impulsive,taking all the risk, full of worries and anxiety).

From the medical point of view when we start to exist in this cruel world we build our relationship with our mother the responsible hormones for that are called oxytocin and endorphin –”Hormones, The Language of Love”

the beautiful book, The Scientification of Love, French obstetrician Michel Odent explains how Oxytocin, a hormone released by the pituitary gland stimulates the release of chemical messengers in the heart. Oxytocin, which is essential during birth, stimulating contractions, and during lactation, stimulating the ‘milk ejection reflex’, is also involved in other ‘loving behaviors’.

“It is noticeable that whatever the facet of love we consider, oxytocin is involved. One study even shows that the simple act of sharing a meal with other people increases our levels of this ‘love hormone’

The altruistic oxytocin is part of a complex hormonal balance. A sudden release of Oxytocin creates an urge toward loving which can be directed in different ways depending on the presence of other hormones, which is why there are different types of love. For example, with a high level of prolactin, a well-known mothering hormone, the urge to love is directed toward babies.

While Oxytocin is an altruistic hormone and prolactin a mothering hormone, endorphins represent our ‘reward system’. “Each time we mammals do something that benefits the survival of the species, we are rewarded by the secretion of these morphine-like substances.” Says Odent.

During birth there is also an increase in the level of endorphins in the fetus so that in the moments following birth both mother and baby are under the effects of opiates. The role of these hormones is to encourage dependency, which ensures a strong attachment between mother and infant.

With this scientific information about oxytocin and endorphins, I have my theory about why we are so dependent with this digital armory. Our day will not be complete without our cellphones, laptops, IPODs, and IPADs because we develop already with ourselves these hormones ( endorphins and oxytocin) to direct and be dependent with these gadgets. Just like the principle of the increase level in endorphins that encourage dependency, which ensure strong attachment between you and your gadget sometimes not with your mother.

Don’t get me wrong i do not hate these gadgets. I just want to learn how to control and use them–not them to use us.

As a result of my self observation, it was astounding, I have learn to use my body clock in the morning, I’m living worry free no calls,I don’t have any obligation to answer any feedbacks, to share and like anything from facebook.

I do not know what is happening with the friends I left, my family is just waiting for me to come home, I always miss my Fiance (and she misses me also a lot) she can’t text and call me, everyday is a surprise day between me and her.

In some instance whenever we want to meet the following day, we have agreed the exact place, time and not to change our plans because we don’t have the luxury of communication, incase of uncertainties we’ve learned to have more patience and understanding. It’s really awesome, in times of emergency you need to call immediately your Creator not anybody else.