We have made ourselves too available

So I have been thinking off and on lately about just how "interruptable" my life is. With four kids it is to be expected, but it is not so much that. It really is a product of the gadgets in my life. Now anyone who reads this has the same gadgets. You are reading this post on one of 3 or 4 of them. But in this world of IM, text message, cell phone, and e mail, I realize that we have allowed ourselves to be CONSTANTLY interrupted, and the impression is that we must always be AVAILABLE. Well, there are times that I simply refuse to be a slave to the gadgets and don't answer the phone, or text or whatever. Just because the technology exists does not mean that we must always allow ourselves to be distracted by them. Think back to the day when we didn't have all of these distractions. We could live without them, and dare I say, we would have more peace and sanity without always feeling like we have to answer something or be in constant communication. I think this has soooo much to do with why the contemplative lifestyle is foreign to most of us. We have allowed the problem. Perhaps it is time to unplug a bit?