"Better Off – Flipping the Switch on Technology" Book Review and Thoughts
I was recommended recently a book called “Better Off – Flipping the Switch on Technology” by a blog reader (props to Rich). So I gave it a read and it was pretty interesting. The main story behind it being a graduate of MIT “bastion of technological advancement” and his wife decide to give up everything and go live in an Amish based community (using as little technology as possible). It’s a pretty interesting read and just wanted to quote a few things from it below:
What was technology’s role in the present age? Problems hadn’t disappeared, they were just different. Even the leaders of my elite university accorded every latest gizmo a virtual hero’s welcome. The conviction was growing in me that the besetting problem was our culture’s blindness to the distinction between the tool and the automatic machine. Machines are not neutral objects but yet complex fuel consuming entities with certain needs. Besides often depriving their users of skills and physical exercise, they created new and artificial demands for fuel, space, money and time. These in turn crowded out other important human pursuits, like involvement in family and community, or even the process of thinking itself. The very act of accepting the machine was becoming automatic
Pretty strong stuff to think about. At what point does the role of technology go from helping to hurting? When does it demand too much of our time and effort and take away from other activities that are truly more rewarding and essential to the human experience? Are we even questioning if enough is enough for certain technological advancements? Some good points to ponder. Now technology can also make our lives a bit easier and give us more time to focus on more fulfilling activities….there is no doubt about that. The question is, when is that point and time and are we really using that free time for more rewarding pursuits…or does more technology move in and take over for us?
The author soon realized that even though technology was limited by the community, it didn’t mean that they didn’t use any. At some point everyone can decide for themselves if something is going to make their life easier…or if it is going to make it more complicated or take up more resources (effort, attention, money) than they want to give away. What happens when we no longer need any physical labor? Answer, our bodies get weak and sick…hence we need to create an environment inside of large buildings with heavy stuff to move around…they are called “gyms”. Think other societies/communities that do daily labor actually need to go to the gym? Still think they suffer from the same rates of obesity that the more modernized societies do?
And this explained not only why time moved more slowly but also why we had more of it, why we were able to relax and read the way we were doing right now: in the absence of fast paced gizmos, ringing phones, alarm clocks, television, radios, and care, we could simply take our time. The event is only in the moment. By speeding through life with technology, you reduce what any given moment can old. By slowing down, you expand it.
The biggest excuse I hear for anything is “I don’t have the time”. Why are we so busy? Are we really even thinking about what we are spending our time doing? I am pretty sure we have the same 24 hours a day like anyone else in the history of time….so why do we use excuses of not having any time? That statement/excuse is 100% untrue. The real excuse should be “I don’t have control of my time” or “I choose not to spend my time there”. Maybe we need to step back, pull the emergency brake of life for a bit and just take note of what we are doing. Time to take control of where our time goes. Are you spending it 3 hours a day on a computer doing non-essential work things? Could you use this time better to spend with friends, family, shop for fresh foods or just get out in the sunshine and go for a walk? Could you start your own business or pursue your own passions in life? We have plenty of time. Look at what has been accomplished by many people in life…..we have the same days as them, they just chose to act differently with their time. Technology, while maybe making things easier for us in some areas….may also be wasting our time and speeding it up in others.
Modern technology far from being neutral in its effect, has more than one underlying purpose or built in tendency; besides reducing the need for physical effort, it helps us avoid the need for cooperation or social flexibility.
The one thing the author noticed is that in the community work environment, a full day’s work was actually not that bad. No one tried to over work themselves, they took many breaks and socialized, most walked to the work sites and in the end as they say “many hands make for light work”. Something our modern culture seems to be lacking as we try and tackle so many things on our own….when indeed the social aspect of having many people to help would make any big task become much easier.
I remember picking up a book called The Western Way of Death, written by a British researcher who measured the stress of driving on motorists. The minute you turn the key your adrenaline levels rise alarmingly, even if you feel relaxed. Since the only way this stress chemical can be used is through exercise (fight or flight response), overtime a person trapped in a moving vehicle will just lead to fat deposits. The worst pollutants the car produces are inside the body.
Now many of us are not about to sell the car and start riding around in carriages. The automobile has made transportation easier….but at what costs? Now there are less communities and more highways and cities based on long transportation to get anywhere. Longer hours spent in cars and more stress. Less exercise involved in getting from one place to another. Seriously…if you drive to the store do you feel relaxed when you get there? My guess is no. But take one day to ride a bike or walk to the store….it’s a completely different experience. Heck you may notice things on the way there you never saw before zipping by in a car. With the price of gas going up and up, one might think the best thing for us all is for gas to be so expensive….that we start finding other ways to get around with a bike, walking or start socializing more with the community close by and not need to drive somewhere just to be entertained.
The main three ingredients of technological liberation are a pinch of muscle, a sprinkle of wits and a dash of willingness
In the end you can see the author was much happier with his life and continued on a more simplistic path even after they left the minimalist village. Technology can help…but it also certainly can hurt. In an age where it seems more people are suffering from increasing amounts of obesity, mental illnesses, depression, and diseases….one might wonder whether one of the main causes could be from straying more from the natural wisdom of nature (as we were intended to live/work/play) and advancing more into the automated technological world and the society it creates. Our innate daily exercises are now gone, our stress levels are always being turned on even when we don’t think they are (driving, watching TV, computers), and we are losing touch with the basic concept of human interaction. Again…one still can use technology in their life…but we need to stop accepting anything that comes along as a true benefit. The most valuable thing you will ever have to give someone or something is your time….and that is what technology usually wants the most from us. Be aware and be in control…..and when in doubt ask yourself…“Am I using technology? Or is it using me?”
So now I leave it up to you the reader to add in….when does technology go too far as being something we need in your book? What do you use and what don’t you use? How do you make sure that technology doesn’t negatively effect your long term health and happiness? Do you have control over your time or feel like you have little time?
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I disagree. This is just another example of the environmentalist/Marxist nutjobbery that dominates the Paleo movement. Hunter gatherers used to spend a lot of their time crouching naked around a camp fire and scratching their asses. Does that mean we should do the same? You can if you want to. I will be busting my ass to succeed and get ahead so I can buy more of the technological gadgets which are taking us away from our “roots.”
Really Mike, I like your health and nutrition stuff, but this anti-modernity stuff is pure crap.
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JB – You would be surprised that I do appreciate your constructive criticism (unlike some other jokers/commentators on the internet that just say something great like “you suck”). Honestly you won’t see me giving up my car, cell phone, laptop or things like that. Technology has it’s place and can enhance lives (like having the internet to share and find information). I’m not going to live in a cave and turn off AC in the summer. It was more a general call to awareness of how our time is spent with technology for everyone, that’s all. What we all choose to use or not use is up to us. I use a laptop, but that book made me realize I need to be on the laptop less and out doing other stuff that brings me personal enjoyment more. I’m also riding my bike to the coffee shop in the AM mostly because I enjoy the exercise and it does seem less stressful. I have more fun pushing a manual lawnmower, doing yard work by hand, etc. I think there are great benefits especially when we consider how many people do not lead active lifestyles and suffer from obesity or other diseases. We all know exercise is a benefit and a lifestyle that is active seems to be missing more nowadays. Technology that just makes us move less and lets us spend more time on a couch watching tv…is not helping. I think people need some hard labor in their life, like resistance training, as the body will respond in a positive way for health. Today I saw an overweight woman riding a scooter through the supermarket….and it’s the store’s so I know she walked in and started riding it around. Also I’m not a fan of endless car horns, stressful highway driving, cell phones ringing, leafblowers, people yelling walking through a supermarket while on their bluetooth headset, and all the other noise that is just endless sometimes…and I think our adrenal response system does suffer (hence more people are addicted to caffeine, sugar and have other disorders like chronic fatigue and others that can be traced to too much stress and burnout). In the end….it’s just a personal choice on how to use technology “wisely” and still have important social interaction that is key to mental and physical health (nothing beats sitting on a porch with friends drinking a couple beers…nothing stressful about that)…not calling for a movement to go live in a cave, unless I can get cable and AC in the cave of course. Simplicity in life is a priority of mine (getting more from less)…as it brings me more happiness, technology is part of it…but only what I allow in and control. Also, when is the line drawn between actually needing technology and wanting it? Where does technology help your life…and when does it just suck up your life energy and time and give nothing in return? The TV I have now is fine, my phone is fine, my ipod is fine…I enjoy them…but I don’t think I am lacking anything or need to replace them, and I don’t always use them. What you do with your time and money is up to you, but you have everything you need already to be happy right now, no gadget or 70″ plasma will change that. Everyone can make their own personal choice on what they use or don’t use….but they should be aware of why they really are buying it (for function or just because they think it will make them happy) and if it really is needed (does it really help your lifestyle). Do we really need robots as our only friends….or a “clap on….clap off”?
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Mike,
Thanks for making me think about what I choose to include in my life. Sometimes simplicity is better. I won’t be giving up my computer or TV, but adding in a walk to the market, or choosing to cook meals at home more often could benefit my body and my wallet. After all, the things that bring me the most happiness have little to do with the technology around me.
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Heather – Well said. As I tried to say in my “long ramble” comment above (yes I rambled), nothing wrong with technology in general….but true happiness usually has nothing to do with needing it.
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Mike I also appreciate these thoughts and yeah, I do need that periodic jolt to spend less time on line. It’s addictive and so not necc. to the extent I use it. We choose not to have TV at home but the computer….oh yeah, I am also addicted to my blackberry….
And about the Amish, I did hear an interesting tidbit once that many aren’t aware of. As I grew up just outside of Lancaster county, PA, there were frequent trips to see the Amish lifestyle and experience its simplicity. When my kids were old enough, we also took them to see this lifestyle. Looking back it is sorta “tour” like and probably inappropriate but yeah, anyway
We were told once that the Amish use more pesticides in their farming than most anyone else!! SO many think the Amish are “natural” and “simple” but I would question their farming practices on an individual farm, crop, season basis before buying produce etc from an Amish farm.
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Sarena – Ah yes…the “crack”berry as so many call it. Personally I don’t want any email or internet on my phone. That and I see so many people carry it with them everywhere and are just subconsciously waiting for the next text message or email…when do they ever really relax? I found now I just throw my cell phone down, keep it on silent, and just check for messages every few hours. There are no real emergencies in my world…so everything can wait. Plus that gets rid of the people who just want to kill time with useless chatter and gossip…I have better things to do with my time. That and I’m not a fan of people checking it especially when they are around others….aka you are out with friends yet they need to keep checking their phone and sending text messages. So I guess they really could care less about being around you and enjoying your company….or at least that’s the way I see it. I say if you are going to be hanging out with someone, then ditch the phone and really enjoy the people around you…as you are not lacking anything else at that moment. Technology to some extent is making us more impersonal and less aware of each other…and the human experience is where we get so many good things from. As for the Amish…interesting but I doubt many today are truly like they were 100 years ago.
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In a lot of things, I personally prefer physical effort over technology. Take lawns, for example. I hate mowing. Pleasure in work directly correlates with the amount of effort any one method requires: scythe>push mower>riding mower. Unfortunately, the yard’s too damn big for a scythe.
Not everyone feels this way, and especially when you have well-integrated kids, I don’t know how you’d withdraw from mainstream machinery very much without also losing a major connection to society, which would be rough.
But I’m very happy to be hoeing barefoot in a well-manured and compost-laden garden, frankly.
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Tirzah – I think in today’s day and age, you don’t have to give up anything…you just need to monitor how much time and effort it takes from you to maintain. (or ask if you really need it or are better off with it) Personally I’d rather use a push mower and get a quick workout….that and just the stress that the noise of lawnmowers and leafblowers (which seem to be daily everywhere I go now) does to me is probably burning out my adrenal system little by little.
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