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| The Trapper's Camp. 1861. Albert Bierstadt |
Use it or lose it is a cliche because it’s true.
JULIAN COPE
Modern life has brought us many good things like washing machines, automobiles, television sets, and the internet. The downside is that modern life also eradicates many good things that we should not lose. We are in an age where the intelligent ones among us realize that new solutions breed new problems. I think many problems were solved with old solutions that are still good. Here are five things I am using in order to not lose them.
1. Radio
AM radio has been in the cross hairs ever since FM became a thing. AM was saved by the likes of Art Bell and Rush Limbaugh, but those guys are gone now. No one has yet to fully fill their shoes. Regardless, I still listen to my AM radio along with my FM stations. Because of AM radio, I can listen to many radio stations from across the country when the sun goes down. I like that.
The tech powers would prefer that I get my audio content through a streaming app with a paid subscription. They already want to do this with television content. I refuse to do this. Long live radio!
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| The Important Letter, 1858. Pieter Willem Sebes |
2. Snail mail
Mrs. Peasant puts a lot of effort into her Christmas card campaign each year. Likewise, I have taken to writing letters instead of sending emails to people. For some reason, people appreciate that effort more than an email, text, phone call, or Facebook emoji. We also prefer to pay our bills through the mail. We do not trust auto pay options.
3. Paying with checks and cash
Our culture is primed and ready to take the mark of the Beast when that time comes. We use electronic payment for some things, but we use checks and cash equally as much. We agree with Catherine Austin Fitts that we need to keep those options alive for the sake of freedom. Once they control the money, they control you. You can prevent this with cash and checks.
4. Cursive handwriting
I was disappointed to learn that today's schoolchildren do not know how to write in cursive or read cursive handwriting. How do they sign a check? I forgot. They just swipe the mark of the Beast for that. Regardless, I write exclusively in cursive now when it comes to my personal letters. I write legibly enough that my script can be read by someone who is literate. From what I have heard, AI cannot read cursive handwriting. That's a good enough reason to keep cursive alive.
5. Using a flip phone
I am famous for the flip phone thing. I never upgraded to a smartphone mainly because I like devices with physical buttons. I cannot pledge that I will never buy a smartphone because they may force the issue. But I will hold out for as long as I can. Fortunately, I am not alone on this issue. The age of chronic tech distraction needs to come to an end.
That's it for my five things I am keeping alive in 2025. I can drive a stick shift, but I don't want to do that. I read physical books, but they have never been on the endangered species list. I gave up vinyl records in the 1980s and prefer CDs and cassettes. I am also hanging on to my DVDs and the DVD player. Get back with me at the end of the decade to see where things stand then.
Thank you for reading!
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| Campfire, 1888 Winslow Homer |
