Hale and Hearty Words

I’m currently reading Accidentally Amish from author Olivia Newport.

I’ll be posting more about this book at a later time (that doesn’t mean you can’t run out and get yourself a copy now!) but one of the ideas in the book intrigues me– the idea of unplugging from technology.

Remember the days when cell phones weren’t a necessity? I didn’t have a cell phone as a teenager. Nope, sure didn’t.

Do you think I’d leave my house without one now? Absolutely not. 

Somehow, the idea of driving anywhere without my phone is scary. I mean, isn’t the fact that I have a cell phone in my purse supposed to protect me from the great “what ifs” of life?

And how about email? What’s the average number of times you check your email in a day? I’m talking both work related emails and personal. I bet it’s more than 2. Closer to 5? More than that?

I’d say on average I check my email at least twice per day on most days. There is the occasional day when I don’t check at all, but those days are rare.

So between cell phones, computers, TV and all other forms of technology, can you imagine what life would be like if it all simply went away?

My husband and I have been watching the new show Revolution on NBC. The general idea behind the show is that there was a power outage that shut down the entire world. That’s right– there’s no power in the entire world.

I won’t go into details about the show, but I will say that I find a world-wide power outage idea intriguing. So much so that I have found myself considering what I would need to do to prepare for such a thing, or rather, considering that if such a thing ever happened, how my family would survive. No, I’m not apocalyptic, but it is an interesting thought.

One moment we’re living in 2012 where we feel like the planet is tiny because we are all connected all the time– the next minute it’s literally the dark ages and society has gone backward.

In Accidentally Amish, it’s a choice to “unplug”. In Revolution, it’s not. Either way, the characters find both challenges and relief in the lack of technology that connects them to the world.

Share with me: If you accepted the challenge to “unplug” your cell, computer, TV, and all other electronic devices for a time, first of all, would you, and what do you think would be the biggest challenge?