The Benefits of Phoneless Life
Disconnecting can draw you closer to God
A few weeks ago, I pondered what it would be like to live without a phone. I wondered whether it is even a possibility in contemporary society.
I remember one day (about a week ago) I was so overwhelmed by stress that I was utterly despairing and crying out to God. I had some ideas as to why this might be happening, but it was only when I switched off my phone and waited a couple of minutes that I realised the true cause: it was the stress of being continually connected.
With all-day battery life and always-on displays we may not even consider switching off our devices these days. But what I’ve discovered is that every connection we have, especially electronically, causes stress. If we have a few dozen phone contacts and a few hundred email contacts, that’s a lot of connection and a lot of people whose energy might be affecting us.
Living without a smartphone is still legal in the UK (as far as I’m aware) though I wonder for how long this will be so. Many of the government services that are part of daily life now rely on phones. This causes me profound concern because smartphones, apps, and digital technology in general are a move away from the natural to the artificial, and this is not a healthy thing for human beings or for society.
Of course, digital technology is appealing in many ways. I love writing my online articles and being able to order food using an app. And when my concerns about the proliferation of technology have caused me to question whether I should dispense with my digital devices entirely, the Lord has said that I should keep posting on Substack and keep my website online, at least in the short-term.
There cannot be many jobs out there these days that are not tied into the technocracy. I have done quite a lot of job hunting in recent months and this is what I’ve found. It may be the case that this is especially so living in a busy city, and in rural areas there may be a slower pace of life and more jobs that are tied to the natural world. The idea of living in hut in a forest is increasingly appealing to me!
There are small steps we can take to limit the stress of digital technology, and switching off devices for even an hour or two each day can make a big difference. Another useful idea is using only the apps and devices that are essential for our work and home life. I realise that new apps and new devices have an almost irresistible attraction, but we can discipline ourselves to only use what is strictly necessary, and only invest in the new when we have to.
At the time of writing, I have gone without using a phone for about the last week. On the plus side, I have felt a great deal more peace in my daily life and my mood has been on the whole more relaxed and calm. On the downside, I have felt worried about the feelings of those people with whom I am not currently connected. When I have prayed about this, the Lord has suggested I should find my peace and fulfillment in Him alone. In a society rife with connectivity overload, it’s something you might like to think about as well.