Dictionary or dictionary.com

Lud⋅dite 
–noun
a member of any of various bands of workers in England (1811–16) organized to destroy manufacturing machinery, under the belief that its use diminished employment.



Earlier today, as I was getting a glass of water in my kitchen, I noticed Cyndi was instructing Frederic to get his dictionary.

"Why do I need to know how to use a dictionary?" Frederic asked. "All I have to do is go to the Internet to look up a word."

A friend of mine has been blogging lately about his resistance to the "conveniences" of today's technology. Steve is a high school English teacher, on a year-long sabbatical studying at Harvard. He's there getting is second Master's Degree; this time in Education. I've written about Steve before. He's the guy who challenged his class last year to live their lives in simple ways. One month, they could not use the Internet, another month they could not use their cell phones. Steve's the guy that the Oprah Winfrey Show was courting for a while to showcase the simple living project. Producers of the show caught wind of the press he was getting on other media outlets, and considered a show or a segment on the idea. In the end, they passed on Steve and his class, but still did a show on the subject.

Simple living is right up Steve's alley. Until he left for Harvard, he had successfully lived his daily life without a cell phone. He's my age. I don't think I know anyone "our" age that willingly does not have a cell phone (if you take our financial reasons). Since he lives farther away from everyone, he's caved into (or lost) the freedom that came with not having a cell phone, and was added to his sister's plan. Maybe the distance isn't the real reason. He's lived successfully in Africa without a cell phone. And I have seen him borrow other people's phones before, including mine. Whatever the reason, he's now a card carrying member. We even exchanged a text message last weekend. I was shocked and impressed.

When I first read Steve's posts, I kind of rolled my eyes.

"Ah, Steve," I thought to myself, "life is advancing in ways to make us more efficient. Just give into it and embrace the technology."

Cyndi is apprehensive too. Tonight, she is going to take a huge leap. We are going to get rid of our land line, and put her on my cell phone plan. The goal is to get her a SmartPhone. She'll have access to her email, her calendar, her address book, text messaging, the phone will have a GPS, the Internet, a music player, Sprint TV. All of the "conveniences" a land line does not offer.

"I just don't want to be tied to my phone," Cyndi said to me yesterday. She was obviously anxious about the pending transition. Whenever she gets anxious, she goes deep into thought. Her eyebrows curl and she has a look of worry on her face.

"Will we save money," she asked. "If we'll save money, then it makes sense." Cyndi's also worried about the need to charge the phone, the need to make sure the phone is within reach when people call, the ability to turn the thing on and off. I attest that once she's used to the new device, she'll be glad she came aboard the technology train. If I took it away in a couple of weeks, she'd miss it.

But if I really think about it, I kind of agree with Steve and Cyndi. I think what got me moving toward their camp was Frederic's comment this morning. About the dictionary. It's not really just about the dictionary itself. He knows how to look up words. He's a curious kid by nature. He'd just rather take the easier route to get the answer. Or, because he's part of the generation that has not lived without the Internet, he just wants to take the more familiar route.

My sway of opinion is also about books. It's also about pen and paper. About the tactile "life" of things. Since I started writing this blog, I have not really used a notebook to "journal" my thoughts. The only time I use a pen and paper is when I am taking notes at a meeting or during a conference call. My laptop is with me much of my day. It's within reach, at least, if it not directly in front of me. Hell, if I am being honest, I take it almost everywhere I go. Everywhere.

I don't think I would ever retreat back to a more simple time in my life. I don't think I could get rid of my phone or my laptop or the Internet. I enjoy the modern conveniences. I enjoy being connected to people, having access to information, seeing how life can be changed.

Am I a better person because of the advanced technology? In some ways I am. Technology has been my life--my living--for 10+ years. Without it our life would be much different. Much.

And I like the life we live. Much.