[/caption] Getting rid of the cell phone all together crossed my mind. I never really liked transitioning to a cell phone in the first place, but I made the switch because I was being bad at both customer service and friendship without one. That reality is still in place and so though I would love to ditch the phone all together I can’t really go back. I haven’t had a land line for years anyhow, and too many people have my cell number. So the decision is really, which cell phone should I choose? I was due, over due, for a “free” “upgrade.” I went to the online store of my provider to see what the options were. Smart phone after smart phone—phones on which I could Tweet and Facebook and YouTube every spare moment away, phones I could text on without clicking through three letters until I get the one I need—all with their attendant data and text plans. I decided none of the above. I found the most basic free phone I could—one that could make calls, text with difficulty, and maybe survive my abuse. In making this choice I was choosing much more than a cell phone—I was choosing a different form of life. I was choosing limits and with those limits, freedom and simplicity. In this age of “limitless possibilities” we must make more decisions, however arbitrary, to not follow all of those possibilities. We must decide against the on-buttons and plugs. It is the decision to buy a simple cell phone or no cell phone at all, to bike rather than drive or walk rather than bike, to go without internet access at home or to go without Facebook. These aren’t moral choices, but they are choices that make a difference. These are the choices that make us holy—set apart from the empire of limitless productivity and desire.]]>
Oh man… you're hitting me where it hurts!
I love my Blackberry.
But recently I've started turning off my e-mail during the day. I've been leaving my Twitter app off. And its amazing how little I miss that constant flashing light on my phone and the constant vibrating.
I haven't reached your point yet — but it's great to see its possible.
Thanks!
Good for you, but I'm unimpressed. If you want a pat on the back for your decision, I'm sure you'll find it, but not from me. I hope you made the decision because it is what is best for you, not because you think it's what all Christians should do.
Thanks for the reply. We're not trying to lay down any laws here for what Christians should do but we are questioning the role technology plays in our lives and the position it holds in our hearts. I am a web designer, and avid social media user but I have been asking the same questions that Ragan has about how I use technology. I don't think it hurts to personally examine the dominance of technology in our own lives and how that influences our Christian faith. Again, I appreciate your reply. -shalom!
Hey Jonathan! Thanks for stopping by! I have had similar struggles with how I use technology and I've made some major adjustments in my life recently too. It's amazing how little changes can make such a difference.
thanks for this
Thanks for stopping by
I really like what you have to say about “limitless productivity and desire” and that is something that I have to think more about. For the present, I have a real, external limit that prevents me from answering the phone, uploading pictures on flickr, actually reading the tweets of people I follow on twitter–my son. So I guess I don't really relate to the idea of limitless clicking, texting, scanning–but limitless desire? Yes, that is something I can identify with.
However, with that said, I think us writers in particular are often skeptics of new technologies and in the end, doesn't technology always win? It seems like resistance only produces temporary gain and in the meantime, we miss out on new possibilities–especially when it comes to that early window of early adoption and actually helping some new creation take shape.
I really like what you have to say about “limitless productivity and desire” and that is something that I have to think more about. For the present, I have a real, external limit that prevents me from answering the phone, uploading pictures on flickr, actually reading the tweets of people I follow on twitter–my son. So I guess I don't really relate to the idea of limitless clicking, texting, scanning–but limitless desire? Yes, that is something I can identify with.
However, with that said, I think us writers in particular are often skeptics of new technologies and in the end, doesn't technology always win? It seems like resistance only produces temporary gain and in the meantime, we miss out on new possibilities–especially when it comes to that early window of early adoption and actually helping some new creation take shape.