Luddite

Here around the homestead, there's always a fair amount of kidding we do with each other about being Luddites.  The real Luddites lived in the late 1800's and fought vehemently against the rise of technology and machinery in their world. They argued that the world made by hand was better, and closer to the world God had envisioned than the machine-driven one that was in the process of taking over the textile industry most of them worked in.  I can see their point, but like any other good idea, it can be taken to an extreme.

Of course here at home we make soap, crochet blankets, cook from scratch and grow a lot of our own food, so I suppose the Luddite jokes are inevitable.  If I light a kerosene lamp to create some mood lighting, one of the kids will make a Luddite joke.  It's as predictable as morning.

But the fact is I am really NOT a Luddite....but I am related to one. 

And my relative's Luddite ways are creating problems, as she prepares to make her yearly visit from London to the states.  This is a woman, you see, who lives in fear of all things technological, and on some level is (I believe) quite angry that the world has moved on from where it was when she was 30.  She does not own any credit/ATM cards, and refuses to learn to use them.  She will not own (nor does she know how to use, despite numerous people offering to teach her) a computer.  She refused to learn to drive, and still does not know how.  She does not own a cell phone. This is just a partial list.  Basically it comes down to this:  If it was not invented in 1960, she would rather not be bothered with it.

But this creates huge problems.  She can no longer fill out her State Department application for a tourist visa -- it's all done online now.  She cannot pay for her shuttle fare from the airport to my godmother's house when she arrives, several hours away from here -- you need an ATM card to swipe once you're on the bus -- they don't take cash.  I can't print tickets for her electronically and email them to her because she has no computer.

Luddite fear and loathing

I'd like to help, but there's not much I can do from where I am, both geographically as well as era-wise. You see, I live in this century, and she still lives in the last one.  

See, there's being a Luddite and then there's being a reeeeeal Luddite. Our own nuclear family, while choosing to live as simply as reasonable, is actually fairly awash in computers, ATM cards, cell phones, and all the other gadgets pretty essential to modern living.  There are just times when we choose not to use them.  Mostly we pay cash instead of swiping.  But we can swipe if need be.  Sometimes we mail a letter instead of an email, but if email is the only option we're good.  But it's always a choice.  We know how to live in both worlds.

The Amish are actually fairly good at doing this, although some claim it's hypocritical.  They don't own cars, but will hire or barter a car and driver if they need to.  They don't own tractors, but can rent or borrow them.  They may not have phones in the house, but will gladly use your cell phone if needed, and if you offer it.  They resist technology, but stay familiar with it. But I suppose you could make the argument that if you're using the technology,  it's rather selfish to always rely on someone else's goods, imposing on others, when you could just as easily get your own and use it sparingly.

Anyway, to fail to keep up with technology as it advances is, I have realized, done at your own peril.  

I love the handmade life as much as any Luddite, but understand that as the times change, we must adapt and change with them.  I only wish I could convince our relative of the same thing.  Things don't have to be so hard, if you just make an effort to keep up -- not with the latest gadgets, but with the things that have been around for a decade or more and which look to be here to stay.

If it's peace of mind you're looking for, I'd say your best bet is to know how to use the "off" switch on the gadgets you own, and not hesitate to power down, rather than forego the whole device, thinking you're keeping things simple. Because eventually the life you thought you were keeping simple becomes unbelievably complicated, once you're at the point where you're living in a different century than everyone else.