Tuesday, September 13, 2005
The World Isn't Flat?
The sky is falling. Pigs are flying. I have a car. And a cell phone. Not a normal week.
I have been holding off on joining the 21st century (actually, 20th) for as long as possible. But in 5 short days, I have become just another follower. Now, those who know me may think that my hesitation was related to cheapness. Am I looking forward to these new expenses? Certainly not. But ultimately, that wasn't what steered me away from these "technologies" for so long.
I'm just not so convinced of the benefits. Do I need to be answerable to a whiny pitched ringing noise everywhere I go? I sit right near a phone for a majority of the day. For the few minutes I'm away, I probably can't take a phone call. There's nothing wrong with leaving a message. I mean, it's great to be able to reach out and touch somebody on a whim, but cellular phones have made it so easy that sometimes we end up messing up our face-to-face relationships for silly, inconsiderate phone breaks.
And, especially at this time, do I really need to join the ranks of gas-guzzling, traffic-inducing Americans? I'm not a tree-hugger, but out of anybody, I would be one of the easier to move towards riding a bike to work. My commute involves 5 minutes through forest preserves.
America is all about personal freedom. That mantra is shoved down our throat every day. So it should be no surprise that I caved. Now I'll be able to pay $3 a gallon to go wherever I want, whenever I want. Now I can pay Verizon to talk to people that would be free from any land line.
The big test will be whether I can be responsible enough to keep these technologies only for when they are needed, or whether these luxuries become part of my daily breathing.
I have been holding off on joining the 21st century (actually, 20th) for as long as possible. But in 5 short days, I have become just another follower. Now, those who know me may think that my hesitation was related to cheapness. Am I looking forward to these new expenses? Certainly not. But ultimately, that wasn't what steered me away from these "technologies" for so long.
I'm just not so convinced of the benefits. Do I need to be answerable to a whiny pitched ringing noise everywhere I go? I sit right near a phone for a majority of the day. For the few minutes I'm away, I probably can't take a phone call. There's nothing wrong with leaving a message. I mean, it's great to be able to reach out and touch somebody on a whim, but cellular phones have made it so easy that sometimes we end up messing up our face-to-face relationships for silly, inconsiderate phone breaks.
And, especially at this time, do I really need to join the ranks of gas-guzzling, traffic-inducing Americans? I'm not a tree-hugger, but out of anybody, I would be one of the easier to move towards riding a bike to work. My commute involves 5 minutes through forest preserves.
America is all about personal freedom. That mantra is shoved down our throat every day. So it should be no surprise that I caved. Now I'll be able to pay $3 a gallon to go wherever I want, whenever I want. Now I can pay Verizon to talk to people that would be free from any land line.
The big test will be whether I can be responsible enough to keep these technologies only for when they are needed, or whether these luxuries become part of my daily breathing.
# posted by Josh : Tuesday, September 13, 2005
Comments:
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I find it amusing (and disturbing) to often see 2 people "together" in a restaurant, both on their cells. There is definitely something wrong with this picture.
I used to spend the 10 min between Minchah and Arvit shmusing around, now there's no one to chat with anymore everybody is on his cell answering the calls they couldn't answer during the Shemoneh Esreh
I definitely agree with the bike idea for shorter commutes because we can diminish the obesity that is America and help commuters move along in one fell swoop.
The problem with too much freedom is that many people can't navigate the fine line between absolute freedom and absolute anarchy. Americans often overdose on America, leaving aspects of society on the verge of deteriorating into a state of complete entropy, necessitating yet another poorly-run government program to clean up the mess.
Much to often we are to blame for doing it to ourselves.
The problem with too much freedom is that many people can't navigate the fine line between absolute freedom and absolute anarchy. Americans often overdose on America, leaving aspects of society on the verge of deteriorating into a state of complete entropy, necessitating yet another poorly-run government program to clean up the mess.
Much to often we are to blame for doing it to ourselves.
# posted by 
: September 13, 2005 12:09 PM
: September 13, 2005 12:09 PM
Apparently your personal connection to Josh is limited to the internet, how unfortunate. What exactly are the qualifications for "great" pei'os versus "not-so-great" pei'os? If the small, behind-the-ear yeshivish pei'os are of the not-so-great variety, then suffice it to say that Josh is a shtark-eh chuseed.
# posted by : September 13, 2005 6:16 PM
: September 13, 2005 6:16 PM
there's a way to join us in modern technology in a non-committal way, the bec way. if you get the pay by the minute cell phone, and then subsequently forget where it is, and then when you find it, you simply leave the ringer on the vibrate only mode, you'll find that you'll never go crazy with it.
I wish I could spend more time blogging, but I'm heading back out to NY again tomorrow. And I try and follow my "No Blogging while Travelling" policy. So pardon my absence. Be early next week!
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