My mom, we will call her Mom because that IS her name, is currently in a heated battle with the telephone companies, plural.
Like most people, she has a smartphone because how else can you make a call these days? Have you even tried to get a landline installed these days? Do they exist? Does one have to time-travel? What are the parameters of that?
She did hold out longer than most. She didn’t concede to a smartphone until just a few years ago. The day she did our children just about fell over from pure shock. “Grammy is on FACETIME!” was a shout heard round our house.
Obsolete
Now, like all of us, she is realizing that the powers that be in the cellular telephone world are very committed to planned obsolescence. I think I’ve barely unwrapped the packaging on a brand new mobile phone when the manufacturer releases the next level phone and renders mine nearly obsolete. My most recent upgrade is less than 90 days old. They are releasing its replacement later this month. Required software updates, hardware limitations and dwindling support will normally sound the death knell for a smart device after a mere few years.
Imagine if the regular phone company had behaved this way? Every two years, your desk phone or wall phone was suddenly completely different. “Yeah, the numbers are all backwards now, AND we put them on the bottom of the handset. You’re gonna love it!”
“Wall phone?” Nah, this is the floor phone. You have to lie down to use it. Don’t trip!”
Upgrading technology may be inevitable. Other changes, however, are part and parcel of modern living and our constant exposure to “more,” “better,” and the addictive ease of “Add to Cart.”
We have had over 100 years of print media and, later, television and internet to show us how “the other half lives.” Realistically, it’s more like the “other one-tenth” at best, but we must be convinced everyone is having fun without us in order to sell ever more things. In this climate, ever poised to encourage excess consumption and spending, it is important that we remember to enjoy and be grateful for what we currently have. In some cases, these are the very “things” we once dreamed of. It is a lie that we always need “upgrades.” Sometimes change — and upgrades — are inevitable. Other times, we should be able to step back and ask ourselves if we really NEED this or that? Are we making a change just to say we did? What if we lean into contentment a little more? What we need is to be good stewards of the things we have already been blessed with.
This doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy giving and receiving gifts. I do. I just think it is important to remember that the media LIES to us. Most people are not receiving a brand new vehicle tied with a giant red bow on Christmas morning. As we enter another gift and focus on the holiday season, I’m going to keep it simple, stress-free free and try to give from the heart, not from a sales flyer. I’ve really sworn off the Black Friday mania this year. I could get interested if grocery stores start taking part. I need a doorbuster on beef — and artisanal cheese — before I get excited.
