there's no such thing as 'free'!

i recently got an sms from a lady who said that she will not be using her cell phone any longer and that she can be contacted only by email.

when i checked with her later (not through her phone) then she explained that she felt the phone was a nuisance (an obstacle in her path) and that she wanted to try this out as an experiment!

how many of us can think of doing anything like this? and survive? the only time i manage without a cell-phone is when i am on vacation. else i usually get a panic attack or a great sense of incompleteness when i leave home without my phone. and its not a one-sided thing. most of my friends, family, business colleagues, clients, etc also would feel annoyed/upset if they are not able to contact me on my phone.

now if we think about this carefully we notice that the cell phone, like many other things in life today, is a tool which binds us even while it frees us in some other way. this reminds me of what a great master said recently - 'remember, the law is, you have to pay the price for anything in life'.

the blackberry allows me to access my mail anywhere, so it frees me from my desk. but then ask any harried executive's spouse and you will hear a long discourse on how it has become the bane of their existence!

travelling by car frees up so much of my commute time (not to mention the convenience) but then i have to walk on the tread-mill to overcome the problems associated with my sedentary lifestyle!

i could go on and on.... but i guess the message is very loud and clear - there's no such thing as a free lunch!