Gen Y Gives Thanks: Nothing, the absence of things

Millennials are connected.  They sleep with their cell phones.  They have hundreds of friends on Facebook.  They have several days worth of music on their iPods.  But amid all those things, some Millennials actually seek nothing. 

Nothing, as in the absence of things. 

Andrew Weitsman, a marketing consultant in Arizona, doesn’t just purposefully seek time without things, without all the technology-driven connectivity, he is actually grateful for it. 

At a glance, Weitsman is a typical Millennial.  His usual routine will involve spending at least eight hours or more in front of a computer at work.  When he’s not in his office, he is on his cell phone, working on his laptop, watching a movie or show on TV, listening to music on his iPod, driving with the radio or interacting with mass media in some other way. 

It seems he is always plugged in, always readily accessible via electronic communication.   

“I have dozens of friends I have never met in person, who I only know through the Internet.  My last four jobs could have been done from anywhere – there was nothing tying me to an office besides the joys of wearing business-casual clothes.  My cell phone is on 24 hours a day, taking calls from other states and countries.  It’s easy to get plugged in and forget about the world outside.”

Even though it is easy to get lost in the seemingly infinite sources of information and communication at our fingertips, Weitsman makes a very conscious effort to avoid that.  He finds that unplugging for a little while is a release and makes him appreciate, and sometimes endure, the times when he needs to stay connected.    

“Every weekend, even if it’s only for a few hours, I turn off my computer, click ‘sleep’ on my cell phone and do things with people – go to the park, work out, take a little fishing trip, go to a local festival – do something where I am as far away from mass communication as possible.  Instead, I interact with the masses. And, that’s what keeps me sane when I have a full inbox and 17 unread texts and half a dozen Facebook friend requests – the reminder that there’s life outside of the electronic network that has overtaken so many lives.  I’m thankful that I can still escape from it.”

For Weitsman, that escape isn’t just quiet time and a reason to be grateful; nothing, as in the absence of things, makes him happy. 

To learn more about Weitsman, check out his blog, Needle, Meet Haystack, or follow him on Twitter.

Follow the 2nd Annual "Gen Y Gives Thanks" series during the entire month of November.  Each day a different Millennial will express what he/she is most grateful for this year.  Click here to read all "Gen Y Gives Thanks" entries, including the ones from last year.