The Modern Way

Of the many stories My Mother-In-Law has told me about growing up in rural northern Germany, there is one that has been resonating in my brain lately.

 

 

Her family was one of the first in their village to get one of those new fangled contraptions called a telephone in their home. The technology was amazing. All you had to do was pick up the receiver and an operator would connect you to the person you wanted to talk to....provided they were a modern enough to have a phone as well. Or the phone would ring, startling everyone in the house especially the elderly grandmother that lived with the family. The Oma was frightened of the phone. Thought is was evil. Would not touch it. The other family members tried to tell her how easy modern technology could make their lives, but she would have none of it.

 

For many years my MIL and I worked together keeping the family business accounts in check. I with the computer and she with mounds of paper, an adding machine and a pen. I tried and tried to show her how easy, more accurate and more efficient the computer handled things. She would have none of it. Would not touch it.

" My way is just fine" she said. " I don't want to learn to use a computer. The old ways are just as good. All this modern stuff is just to hard to keep up with. I will do it my way."

With eyes rolling, I made a mental note to myself to never, ever become complacent and always be willing to keep up with the times.

 

Last weekend, Fritz and I were out running errands when we realized we forgot to look up the address for one of our planned stops before we left home. I tried to call each of my four children to  look up the information for me. Then I imagined the responses I would get.

" You need a smart phone"

" Mom, when are you going to join the 21st century"

"A smart phone would make things so much easier"

" It's the modern way"

 

And my protests:
 

"I don't want to learn something new."

 

"Ugh. It's just too hard to keep up with all this techno stuff changing so, So, SO much."

"What I have is just fine"




The unclaimed phone books in the lobby of our city apartment