When the cellular networks went down, amid the moment of confusion, did you feel a slight sense of peace that your phone would be quieter today? You're not alone. This isn't the way that we're supposed to live.
Hi Sarah, I have been turning my phone off in the evening around 5:00 lately. I also have been leaving my phone home ocassionally while running errands. It feels great, as if a noose was removed from my neck. I'm slowly leaving the phone off longer, and leaving it home more. It's like weaning off an addictive drug, it can be done and you will feel better. Good luck with your progress.
As a boomer, I am one who has lived before the PC/internet/smartphone era. I can also say I have used them longer than younger generations.
Smartphones are great communication tools. It’s great to be able to text your wife to pick up something at the grocery store when she is there. However they are not very good for communicating in depth. Email is a little better, but not nearly as good as writing a letter. And sadly, letter writing is a skill lost to almost everyone under 55. I doubt even 5% of those under 55 have ever written a letter.
Slower communication has many benefits. I was a volunteer in the Peace Corps in the mid-80’s and lived in Africa. Air mail letters took weeks to arrive. Because communication with family and friends was so infrequent, letters were composed with more thought and depth. Because the travel time for the letters was so long, you felt compelled to take time and compose and develop your thoughts. I still have the letters written to me, and some of my family members saved my letters and gave them to me when I returned and I treasure them. I’m afraid that, unless one is writing weekly Substacks, like Sarah, most younger people rarely have an opportunity to regularly practice writing skills and develop their thoughts. Written communication has devolved to a string of emojis.
Of course smartphones can also be a constant source of distractions. These distractions can keep in-person conversations shallow. The constant distractions interrupt deeper thought and conversation. I feel older people manage them better because they know a life before constant notifications and seek that out. It’s harder for younger people to manage because they don’t know anything else.
I have heard that “dumbphones” are becoming more popular. I hope that trend continues.
"As our connectivity has increased, so has the expectation of our being connected."
And there was a time when we thought that mechanical progress, automation that allowed us to produce more more quickly would mean we would enjoy more leisure time. No, we are now simply expected to work the same hours and produce even more.
Even before smartphones, I advocated to those around me to protect/control one's attention above all else, because all else within you is downstream from that. Within a year of their release, I posted on Facebook (back when I had it), "You don't need push notifications; you need a better polling strategy." Everyone in my immediate network disagreed, because it was "inefficient" for them to check their phone all the time.
However, even with the notifications, these same people check their phone all the time anyway, just in case they missed something. Surely they're just checking to see if the time reads five minutes later than when they last checked it, since they can't focus enough on whatever else they're doing to tend to anything other than watching the clock.
A majority of people are turning over their most valuable asset to the whims of the people and systems outside of themselves, inviting chaos into any given minute of their day. Never mind the inefficiency of this; when system function is moved outside of that system, the internal paths for that function within that system degrade.
In this case, we're talking about discernment about what is important and false equivalence between urgency and importance -- generally-speaking, people (as systems), are degrading their internal pathways that determine urgency vs importance for themselves.
Didn't realize it was so widespread. Totally 'at the mercy' of the tech giants. Very telling moment as we read about Jonah and darkness and repentance.
Yes, well, I use a landline only. Glad I don't have a dumbphone. My worry is that landlines will; be phased out either by simple cutoff or priced out of affordability. Although I am dependent on the Internet for my living, I don't need a cell phone as long as I have a landline for direct communication which we've now had for nearly a hundred years.
It's a world of phone zombies, they're everywhere & all ages. In his dystopian novel "1984" George Orwell wrote something like, There will be no revolution, people won't look up from their screens. He was prescient, his novel was published in 1949.
So true. As a boomer, I used to do exactly what you talked about--I could go to a coffee shop or the park and sit and soak in the ambience. Then I developed the "need" to have a magazine or book with me to focus on. Eventually it turned into the Kindle, and finally the cell phone.
Jordan Peterson said in an interview he took up weight lifting to slow his mind down for a few minutes each day. As one who lifts weights at home, I took his advice and turned off the MP3 player and YouTube videos I generally have going. He's right. It's wonderfully therapeutic. Thanks for your insightful thoughts, Sarah.
Howdy I am a vegetable farmer and listen to podcasts while working. I hate carrying the phone because it is so giant and easily damaged. I carry a small mp3 player instead to listen to podcasts.
Interesting that after reading your message I pick up my phone to write a comment. Go figure.
As an older generation type I do find the phone useful but annoying like the TV. Oh well, we could ponder how we would survive without the phone....nah.
Hi Sarah, I have been turning my phone off in the evening around 5:00 lately. I also have been leaving my phone home ocassionally while running errands. It feels great, as if a noose was removed from my neck. I'm slowly leaving the phone off longer, and leaving it home more. It's like weaning off an addictive drug, it can be done and you will feel better. Good luck with your progress.
As a boomer, I am one who has lived before the PC/internet/smartphone era. I can also say I have used them longer than younger generations.
Smartphones are great communication tools. It’s great to be able to text your wife to pick up something at the grocery store when she is there. However they are not very good for communicating in depth. Email is a little better, but not nearly as good as writing a letter. And sadly, letter writing is a skill lost to almost everyone under 55. I doubt even 5% of those under 55 have ever written a letter.
Slower communication has many benefits. I was a volunteer in the Peace Corps in the mid-80’s and lived in Africa. Air mail letters took weeks to arrive. Because communication with family and friends was so infrequent, letters were composed with more thought and depth. Because the travel time for the letters was so long, you felt compelled to take time and compose and develop your thoughts. I still have the letters written to me, and some of my family members saved my letters and gave them to me when I returned and I treasure them. I’m afraid that, unless one is writing weekly Substacks, like Sarah, most younger people rarely have an opportunity to regularly practice writing skills and develop their thoughts. Written communication has devolved to a string of emojis.
Of course smartphones can also be a constant source of distractions. These distractions can keep in-person conversations shallow. The constant distractions interrupt deeper thought and conversation. I feel older people manage them better because they know a life before constant notifications and seek that out. It’s harder for younger people to manage because they don’t know anything else.
I have heard that “dumbphones” are becoming more popular. I hope that trend continues.
"As our connectivity has increased, so has the expectation of our being connected."
And there was a time when we thought that mechanical progress, automation that allowed us to produce more more quickly would mean we would enjoy more leisure time. No, we are now simply expected to work the same hours and produce even more.
Even before smartphones, I advocated to those around me to protect/control one's attention above all else, because all else within you is downstream from that. Within a year of their release, I posted on Facebook (back when I had it), "You don't need push notifications; you need a better polling strategy." Everyone in my immediate network disagreed, because it was "inefficient" for them to check their phone all the time.
However, even with the notifications, these same people check their phone all the time anyway, just in case they missed something. Surely they're just checking to see if the time reads five minutes later than when they last checked it, since they can't focus enough on whatever else they're doing to tend to anything other than watching the clock.
A majority of people are turning over their most valuable asset to the whims of the people and systems outside of themselves, inviting chaos into any given minute of their day. Never mind the inefficiency of this; when system function is moved outside of that system, the internal paths for that function within that system degrade.
In this case, we're talking about discernment about what is important and false equivalence between urgency and importance -- generally-speaking, people (as systems), are degrading their internal pathways that determine urgency vs importance for themselves.
I haven't had a cell phone in like 10 years.
Didn't realize it was so widespread. Totally 'at the mercy' of the tech giants. Very telling moment as we read about Jonah and darkness and repentance.
Yes, well, I use a landline only. Glad I don't have a dumbphone. My worry is that landlines will; be phased out either by simple cutoff or priced out of affordability. Although I am dependent on the Internet for my living, I don't need a cell phone as long as I have a landline for direct communication which we've now had for nearly a hundred years.
I will consider this and will be more mindful of the control the phone has over me! Thanks
It's a world of phone zombies, they're everywhere & all ages. In his dystopian novel "1984" George Orwell wrote something like, There will be no revolution, people won't look up from their screens. He was prescient, his novel was published in 1949.
So true. As a boomer, I used to do exactly what you talked about--I could go to a coffee shop or the park and sit and soak in the ambience. Then I developed the "need" to have a magazine or book with me to focus on. Eventually it turned into the Kindle, and finally the cell phone.
Jordan Peterson said in an interview he took up weight lifting to slow his mind down for a few minutes each day. As one who lifts weights at home, I took his advice and turned off the MP3 player and YouTube videos I generally have going. He's right. It's wonderfully therapeutic. Thanks for your insightful thoughts, Sarah.
I have been threatening to throw it all into the creek for awhile now. May I will just do it too. Perhaps you would consider being a pen pal, Sarah?
Howdy I am a vegetable farmer and listen to podcasts while working. I hate carrying the phone because it is so giant and easily damaged. I carry a small mp3 player instead to listen to podcasts.
Hi all,
There were other disturbances on the 'net recently -- titan sites Coinbase and Substack were having issues on wednesday night...
efc
Interesting that after reading your message I pick up my phone to write a comment. Go figure.
As an older generation type I do find the phone useful but annoying like the TV. Oh well, we could ponder how we would survive without the phone....nah.
Something you love and hate
Keep em coming Crusader Gal.
jack
I turn my phone off every night at 1930. When I am on a 5 day Trappist retreat: no phone at all. Off and in the luggage till I go home.