I have been doing a fair amount of reading on the Amish-Mennonite tradition. It is a myth that the Amish consider technology evil. The real issue they have with technology is that it connects them to evil influences. When a new technology hits the market, the Amish will actually hold a meeting and debate the pros and cons of said technology. I think this is an interesting idea. Instead of just accepting all the latest gadgets, we should vote them in our out. I'll start
OUT
Cable/Satellite TV (expensive nothingness)
Cell Phones (need I explain why?)
Cars (no more personal automobiles)
Credit Cards (more trouble than worth)
IN
DVD/Netflix (You get to choose)
Internet (good for research, debate, IM's)
Projectors (makes good content bigger)
Nintendo Wii (good family fun in winter)
11 comments:
I vote them all in, but in moderation. Any of those in moderation are quite helpful; all of them out of balance are detrimental. While I appreciate the Amish approach--and do reject some forms technology myself--the problem is not that influences for evil exist somewhere out there, but in and as every one of us.
While you are correct, it is much more fun to make blanket statements!
I've had fleeting desires to become Amish at different points in my life. But then I lived with my dad in Ohio, on the edge of Amish country. They used to come into the grocery store and the McDonald's I worked in. No offense anywhere meant, but I don't think I can handle myself not batheing!
Tammy, you're missing the beauty of my post. We can pick and choose which technologies and conveniences to keep. You can keep your daily shower.
I, on the other hand, prefer to shower/bath as little as possible. At some points in my life, this has been merely once a week. These days I tend to shower 3-4 times a week, depending on the length of my hair.
Well, I would put cell phones on the "in" list. We don't have a house line, but opted for cells instead. I would put Wii on the "out" list. I'm sure it's nice (never played), but surely there are more constructive things to have on the "in" list. I would also add iPhones to the "out" list. I know they are great and useful and all, but they annoy me. In our house, Ell's iPhone is named "the mistress".
I stand corrected, Matthew. So which list would your contacts go in, Mr. Leave my weekly contacts in for three months until I have to practically peel my eyes out with them??
I would leave contacts in. I thought I would not like them when I was a teenager. But nowadays I wear them more than 50% of the time. And my eyes have not died yet from leaving them in, so that's no big deal.
Dena makes a good point about how some people use the cell phone INSTEAD OF a house phone. I think this is tolerable.
Many Amish cumunities still don't have electricity in their homes- they use bateries for things like alarm clocks. In those cases the entire "IN" catagory would be impossible.
my original post was written hastily and not very clear. i wasn't saying i would become amish. i was saying i like their idea of voting technologies in or out. For my purposes, i do not require a rejection of electricity.
I definitely think t.v. could go. All those commercials about us losing our t.v. signal when they make the switch to DTV crack me up. It's like they're warning you that something extremely dangerous is going to occur. OH NO! OUR TV IS NOT WORKING! WE MIGHT ACTUALLY HAVE TO TALK TO EACH OTHER! OR EVEN GO OUTSIDE!!!!
Haha!! That has to be one of the best replies I've seen, Regan! Good call!!
One of the stations in Maine actually has a countdown that's always on, even during the television shows. STUPID!!
So I finally have your approval for a cell phone, Matthew, since it's my primary phone? That's comforting...we just won't talk about my texting...
Post a Comment