I’ve gotta be honest, sometimes the idea of being Amish really appeals to me. Especially in today’s high-octane society where everybody’s plugged in and hardwired and connected in some way to the technology around us.
So I’m realizing more and more that there’s a lot to be said for living the simple life. And I kinda miss it.
You know, when we had to put our actual pointer finger into an actual dial on the phone to call anyone. Or when a busy signal on someone’s phone meant we had to call back later. Or when being off-the-grid was still a legit thing.
Now maybe I’m just hypersensitive lately to how much I depend on all the devices in my life and I’m feeling like I need to take a step back. Yeah, that’s definitely it. Because the more than I think about it, the more I think the Amish might really be onto something with this resisting modern conveniences thing. It’s kind of a neat idea that if you can’t grow it, sew it, or make it you just don’t have it. It’s so simple.
Can we say that the quality of their lives is better or worse because they don’t have iPhones or Wi-Fi? I honestly don’t know. Honestly, I’ll bet the Amish would be going over their monthly texting allowance too if texting was in their wheelhouse. But it’s not. So they don’t. I guess you don’t miss what you never had, right?
Honestly, I’m a little jealous that there are people out there living without Snapchat or streaming video or a Finsta account. And as far as I know, they’re living happy, productive lives.
Now I’m not saying I want to sell my house and move to Pennsylvania Dutch Country; I just feel like technology intrudes a little too far into our lives sometimes and we need to regroup and step away for a minute.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not disavowing all these sexy little devices that let us check emails in the check-out aisle or open our garage door from a hundred miles away or talk to both of our kids at the same time when they’re in two different places. I appreciate the convenience and efficiency of all those things. I kind of have to by default since my husband works for Microsoft and bashing this stuff too much would be marital suicide. There just doesn’t seem to be a place anymore that we can go to get offline. And even though my professional world is very much online, I still miss being offline.
I guess I’ve been a little nostalgic lately, thinking back to a time, not too long ago, when we actually had to get off the couch to change the channel. Back to when we held up Bic lighters at concerts, not cell phones. Back to when we couldn’t turn on every appliance in our house remotely. Everything is just so automated and hot-wired now that there’s no such thing anymore as doing it the old-fashioned way. And I miss that.
But I’m conflicted, though, because I really do understand technology’s usefulness. Really, I do. And God know as a mom I value it for connectivity and safety. I mean, I’d never give up being able to stay connected with my kids 24/7/365 (unless, of course, they disabled their Location Services on their phone). I just worry that with everyone plugged into a different device we’re not connecting enough with each other anymore.
Talk to my husband, the supreme geek, and he’ll tell you that none of us has ever, in the history of parenting, been more accessible than we are thanks to mobile devices and technology. When we’re road tripping somewhere with our kids and I’m wishing the car could be a refuge from outside contact so we can all just connect, Dave’s telling me to look at all the work he can do while we’re all together. And I get that. I guess it all depends on your point of view. When it’s your passion or your livelihood all these gadgets definitely help us maintain a healthy work/life balance. But when we’re looking for a way to disconnect, they’re just an intrusion.
I’m not saying we should dump all our Smartphones or tablets in a landfill, I’m just saying that I think we could all benefit from unplugging every once in a while just so we can remember what thinking and doing for ourselves feels like. (Plus, it gives our batteries a chance to recharge.)
Lisa Sugarman lives just north of Boston, Massachusetts. Read and discuss all her columns at www.lisasugarman.com. She is also the author of LIFE: It Is What It Is and Untying Parent Anxiety: 18 Myths That Have You in Knots—And How to Get Free available on Amazon.com and at select bookstores.
