‘I Long for Simpler Times’ Before Technology

“Has technology made everything better? Not in my opinion!” says writer Terri L. Jones. She misses simpler times and pleasures that have gone the way of the rotary phone.

Don’t get me wrong. I appreciate technology. It’s provided us with countless benefits and made our lives easier in so many ways. However, I also think that technology has deprived us of some truly valuable – and life-enriching – things as well.

At risk of sounding like a Luddite, someone who is resistant to technology, or just an old geezer, here’s what I long for in my most wistful moments.

I miss candid photos. Those in-the-moment photos where you caught your dad changing a tire or your best friend who’d fallen asleep at the party were a true slice of life. Back then, smiles and antics in photos were completely natural and reflected the personality of the people in the photos, not just their ability to take a good selfie. I also miss waiting for photos to be developed and printed and being stuck with whatever was on the roll, which reflected life more perfectly than all the planned and edited photos in your camera today.

I miss handwritten letters. Emails are efficient, but they lack the personalization of a letter in the sender’s unique handwriting and maybe even including a lipstick kiss at the end, a photo or a surprise check or $5 bill from your great aunt Eunice. In the old days when people put pen to paper to communicate, you eagerly awaited that missive with their trademark blue linen stationery landing in your mailbox. Ripping open the envelope, you’d find their script filling the page and filling you in on their life. Nothing better!

I miss maps. Yes, I said it! I miss those aggravating, big-as-the-kitchen-table, old-fashioned tools of navigation. GPS has definitely made getting around town easier, especially if you have no sense of direction (like me); however, this technology can very quickly erode what sense of direction you do have . Prior to having that stranger in your phone telling you where to go, you had to pull out a map, flatten it out and route your course from point A to point B (you also had to figure out how to fold that confounded thing back up!). As a result, you learned your way there and typically remembered it the next time you had to go there. But now you just ask the GPS lady again … and again!

I miss having to remember things. When you forget the name of a person, movie, or that disease with which your sister was diagnosed, the internet magically serves that information to you in the click of a few buttons! But as a result, our brains get a little lazy. I miss the days when you had to work your brain – prod it and rack it – to recall that information on your own. Or at least head to the library or consult your trusty World Books, or give someone a call. Use it or lose it – the old noggin’ needs the exercise!

I miss being unreachable. If you didn’t want to talk to someone in the old days, you just didn’t answer the phone. And because you didn’t even know who had called before the advent of caller ID and answering machines, you weren’t obligated to return that call or even feel the least bit bad about it. Nowadays, through texts, voicemail, and social media, you’re constantly inundated with messages, most of which you don’t need or want. Unless you completely “unplug,” it’s virtually impossible to disappear from life these days. However, sometimes it’s important to turn off that noise and just listen to the people in your immediate proximity and your own thoughts.

I undoubtedly long for simpler times – when losing internet service didn’t cause a breakdown … but don’t you dare take away my smartphone!

Take a minute to let me know what you miss, too.

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