Rebel Without a Cause

"One cannot spend one's time in being modern when there are so many more important things to be." --Wallace Stevens

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This is a big step for me. Not only am I promising myself that I will use this space as a forum for writing more often and resurrecting my creative side, but by choosing to begin a blog, I’m succumbing to another aspect of dreaded technology.

Whenever possible, I resist technology. I do it for several reasons. First of all, I’m cheap. If I can save money by buying the older version of something (or not buying it at all), I will. Secondly, I’m dismayed (and yes, slightly jealous) that engineers and computer technicians make all the money while writers and artists are continually underpaid and underestimated. Because of that, I resist technology to prove a point...even if only a minor point that no one else cares about. I don’t need technology. I was perfectly content with cassette tapes and VHS until the CD and DVD came along, forcing my old means to become obsolete. There is always something new. I can’t keep up, so I don’t try.

The worst part of this personal rebellion is that I can’t win. For instance, I bought a new cell phone without Bluetooth capabilities because I hate how important those ear buds make people look. No one is that important. It wasn’t too many months after my purchase when California passed a law stating that you need to use a hands-free device in your car. I’m currently still resisting that one. I suspect I’ll have to give in at some point...probably when a cop spots me yelling a one-sided conversation into the phone I’m holding out at arms length (yes, I know the rule isn’t “ear’s-free,” it’s “hand’s-free”) because I still can’t find my speakerphone function. (Choosing not to learn how to use speakerphone is also part of la résistance.)

I know, I know. The only person I’m inconveniencing is myself. But really, even people who do keep up with the times have to go out and buy a new version, update or product practically every other month. Let’s all just agree right now to take a hiatus from technology for a little while. Let the Blackberry come to its natural end; halt the making of Nintendo 4000 (okay, I made that up). Let’s just slow down a little so I can get Blue Ray discs without thinking it’s stupid because they too will be replaced in another few years by little HD microchips we insert into our Bluetooth and play inside our heads.

Let’s see if technology and I can come to some sort of truce. Let’s see if I can not only find my way back to writing on a more regular basis, but if I can do so while embracing (or at the very least accepting) this form of communication. The fact that I have successfully figured out how to post this is a sign that I am, however slowly, learning.