Why We Should Make Time for Low-Tech
I know this isn't healthy, but still it happens much too often. Maybe it does for you too. And now we're getting our kids ready for distance learning, which will require them to spend hours a day in front of a computer.
But as we keep breaking boundaries and changing the way things work, sometimes we lose sight of the fact that some of the best (and healthiest) solutions are low tech.
A pointed lesson
It was the 1960s, and NASA was having trouble coming up with a reliable replacement for the pen. You see, in space, with no gravity and no air pressure, pens don't work very well, which is bad news for astronauts who need to keep a log or do some calculations. Millions of dollars went into research to develop a zero-gravity pen.
The Russians, faced with the same problem in their space program, used a pencil.
I'm reminded of people my age or older who swear they can't get by without their _______ (fill in the blank with your favorite piece of modern technology), even though they lived the majority of their lives perfectly well in the pre-smart phone, pre-Internet world. How did we ever manage to live productive, independent adult lives in the "olden days?"
Our kids are growing up even more dependent on the latest-and-supposedly-greatest tech than we are, and it might be good to take a step back to a less mechanized way of life before we hook everyone up to a virtual classroom for distance learning this fall.
Maybe we need a little vacation from modernity.
- uncounted tons of plastic waste and toxic electronic waste
- dissatisfaction with last year's technology and the constant pursuit of the next big thing
- a skewed work/home balance
- an unhealthy tendency to substitute virtual activity for real-world physical activity
- a lot less intimacy and connection with our families, friends, neighbors, and communities
5 low-tech activities your family will enjoy
1. Go camping.
- cook and/or eat outside
- take a hike
- listen to the birds and the wind in the trees
- watch a sunset
- stargaze (use binoculars if you have them)
2. Use human power.
- leave the car in the garage and walk or bike where you need to go
- take the stairs
- wash your car with a bucket of suds and some elbow grease
- pull some weeds and sweep your garage, patio, and sidewalks
- forgo appliances that chop vegetables, shred cheese, or mix batter
3. Play without electricity.
- break out the board games and jigsaw puzzles
- bring out paper and crayons and scissors and glue
- get creative with the millions of pieces of Lego in your child's room
- knit, crochet, draw, or paint
- read a book
4. Reduce waste and emissions.
- use an electric fan rather than air conditioning
- hang clothes to dry
- ditch paper towels and napkins and buy or make reusable alternatives
- quit bottled water and soda and drink sun tea instead
- take advantage of daylight by sleeping and rising earlier
5. Make connections low tech.
- remove alerts, and check your email and phone messages only two or three specific times per day
- ban phones at mealtime and share a conversation
- meet your neighbors (you can still practice social distancing)
- hand write a letter
- snuggle with your pet, partner, or child (or all of them at once)
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