There, there little luxury…

Posted by Heather O. | July 15, 2009 | 24 Comments

I’m writing this post on my laptop. It’s actually a Dell notebook, one of those cool half pint sized laptops. My husband bought this for me for our 10th anniversary. I didn’t tell him at the time, but I thought it was extravagant. We’re simple folk–what do I need a fancy shmancy laptop for?

THEN, Dh got an Iphone. Zoo-wee momma did we have a talk about that. No warning, he just went out and bought it. Because he wanted it, and because the newer models are coming out which makes the old models cheaper. Whatever! We already had 2 perfectly functional cellphones, which I always thought was sort of a luxury already. Nobody really needs two cellphones, and nobody needs an iphone. I mean, there is such a thing as too much technology, right?

Last week, I went to Utah to retreat with my Segullah sisters. I took my laptop, and accidentally left my power cord at my in-laws house. I didn’t realize I didn’t have the power cord until my laptop died halfway through the plane ride. I immediately called my MIL when I got home, hoping that she had it, and she sent it out right away.

Those 3 laptop days were some dark days. Using my desktop was like trying to ride a stegarosaurus.

Also, I can’t believe I ever lived without an Iphone. We use it to take pictures of the kids and post them on FB for our family. We use it to track thunderstorms at swim meets. We use it to mapquest locations while enroute. It’s awesome.

And yet, through it all I keep hearing the little rhyme that Pres. Monson spoke at conference once. He said, “There, there, little luxury, don’t you cry. You’ll be a necessity by and by.”

(I think it was Pres. Monson anyway. Doesn’t that sound President Monson-esque? I’d look it up on the iphone or my laptop, but all the technology in the world isn’t going to help the inherently lazy.)

So suddenly, I’m looking at some things in my life that I had always considered luxuries. I know that they still are luxuries, but I would still hate to do without them.

The technology today is astounding. We have access to some of the coolest stuff I’ve ever seen, and with the advent of credit, these things can be made immediately available to us, financial stability notwithstanding. I’d always thought that our family is cool headed about these things, but the laptop-less days proved me wrong. I love my laptop. I need my laptop. (Have I mentioned that it’s cute?)

In this day of cute laptops and cool iphones, how do you keep detached from your stuff?

Comments

24 Responses to “There, there little luxury…”

Shelah
July 15th, 2009 @ 9:07 pm

I am fully dependent on my technology. We didn’t have internet the first two weeks in our new house and I would have died, DIED, I tell you had it not been for my blackberry.

And, btw, your laptop? It’s pretty dang cute.
clistyB
July 15th, 2009 @ 9:12 pm

whew. i was really worried you were going to rip on the iPhone.
and i havent charged anything for a year now. but thats only because I cant even qualify for a sack lunch these days.
Faith Not Fear
July 15th, 2009 @ 9:29 pm

Joe J. Christensen is the one who said, “Remember the line “There, there, little luxury, don’t you cry. You’ll be a necessity by and by.” in his talk “Greed, Selfishness, and Overindulgence,” Ensign, May 1999.

Thanks to my computer ! What would I do without it?!!! Probably a lot more cleaning !

It’s scary when you tell your child, “Mom doesn’t have any money for that,” and they reply, “That’s okay, Mom, you have a credit card!” Yikes!
Angela
July 15th, 2009 @ 9:35 pm

TiVo, anyone?? How in the world did we watch television before it was invented?

And don’t tempt me with the iPhone. I WANT ONE. Instead I have this super dorky four year old LG phone that replaced my mildly dorky Razr phone that I lost at JC Penney. I have six more months until my contract runs out and I can get a new phone for free . . . but even then I might have to resist the call of the iPhone because the plan would be 30 a month or so more than I’m paying now. Plus, do I need one more electronic gadget to which I will likely become addicted??

I will probably get an iPhone. Who am I kidding.
Josi
July 15th, 2009 @ 9:52 pm

I don’t keep detached. If I go to hell for it, so be it, but my macbook and I are inseparable in good times and bad, for richer or poorer (which is easy to be when you are in love with a Mac) til death do we part. I’m convinced that because God loves me, he will translate my Mac when I die and it will be waiting for me. The iPhone, however, scares me. I hate learning to use stuff so I’ll stay with my non-camera flip phone a little longer
ellen
July 15th, 2009 @ 10:28 pm

yeah, you’re right. we’re getting spoiled. but not about the iphones. those really are a necessity. ;-D
Matt A.
July 15th, 2009 @ 10:43 pm

I think many things that were once luxuries have become necessities, in that they are required for any kind of normal participation in 21st century post-industrial life. Cellphones, email, bank accounts, washing machines, whatever. The lines are fuzzy, of course, and open to individual willingness to deviate from the norm, but there are certain things that employers and governments expect us to have (bank accounts), and certain things that have simply become too inconvenient to do as technology has developed (washing clothing by hand).

This shift from luxury to necessity has made it that much more difficult to keep ourselves detached from our “stuff”, as we have so much more of it than we used to (both virtual and physical). At least I find it to be so, anyway.

I have to keep reminding myself that where my treasure is, there will my heart be also. (Matthew 6:21) It is a work in progress for me, to remain focused on what I really, truly want. I’m not sure that I have any great suggestions beyond the obvious common sense ones, pruning bad habits, focusing on things of real value, and whatnot. (Although, I must say, moving 12 times in 15 years is a good way to purge physical stuff. )
Colleen
July 15th, 2009 @ 11:09 pm

I LOVE that little ditty! I have to admit, I don’t keep detached from my stuff. My laptop is a piece of junk that I got for free from my little brother and I still don’t know what I’d do without it. And I’ve been coveting an iPod Touch for awhile now. Most of the same features as the iPhone, without the $70 a month contract!

Great post.
m&m
July 16th, 2009 @ 12:03 am

I think some of it depends on what we do with it. So much of the Lord’s work is being done and accelerated because of blessings technology has brought. Is it all luxury? I can’t believe it is. Having the latest, greatest tech toy can be a constant allurement, but having good technology can also bring about much good.

What scares me about it all is that I think the more we are given, the more He expects…and the more temptations we have to face, both outright sin and how we spend our time.

Sometimes I actually yearn for a simplified, even non-tech life. It’s hard to balance it all when you have so much at your fingertips, so many options of how to spend your time and money. But I think for those of us in the developed world, this is part of our journey…part of the opposition where much good can take place and much is expected.

I just hope and pray that I don’t totally mess up that stewardship.
Johnna
July 16th, 2009 @ 1:29 am

I had the hardest time nerving myself up to spend the money on my iPhone. Now I use it so much it’s the least guilty pleasure.
–I’m sending so many more pictures to extended family.
–I spend much less time on my laptop, because I can get my email fix when I’m waiting for kids to get out of class.
–I’m reading more classic lit because it’s free to download into my Stanza application.
–I didn’t bother getting a GPS direction thing when I bought a minivan last month, because I’m using my iPod for directions and traffic conditions.
–I’m more likely to carry my phone now, which pleases all the people I run errands for.
–I’m more likely to show up where I’m supposed to be, now that I have a PDA fun enough to use, and always with me because it’s in the phone.
–always have my scriptures with me now. And that elusive Relief Society Manual, and the hymn lyrics.

Although, that last bit is perhaps a problem. A friend of my is on the other side of the scripture gap at church, and admits he could be jealous of the members who have scriptures on a more expensive handheld device, rather than low-tech bound paper scriptures.
Andrea R.
July 16th, 2009 @ 5:11 am

I’m pining for a laptop (a MAC this time) and and iPhone — so jealous of my husband’s…

Here’s some technology that I recently had to live without:
* My washing machine — oh my, I never would have made it as a pioneer woman. My dryer was still intact, but I spent 10 days, TEN DAYS taking wet loads of laundry back and forth from my neighbor’s house.
* The electricity! A squirrel lost its life in the substation in our neighborhood and we were without power the day before yesterday. Try getting two cars out of a hurricane proof automatic garage door…

I agree that there are little luxuries in life that we become dependent on, but as Johnna noted, there are a lot of good, time saving things that come out of them.
Amanda
July 16th, 2009 @ 7:32 am

I found that moving/going on a trip has cured me of many of my technology neediness.

1) TV is gone.
2) Cell phone is shared between husband and I. and it’s an old cell phone. no fancy photo taker. saves numbers. only texts occasionally (don’t know why). and we have no ground line so we figure it’s a necessity. suddenly i don’t take my phone with me…anywhere. i LOVE it.
3) No shower, only tub. (so looking forward to having a shower again though)
4)no dishwasher. (this one i’m afraid i’ll be without for a long time)
5) we still have a laptop though-but i love going on vacations and leaving it (with all of my homework) at home.

husband made a new family rule (yeah, there’s two of us, it’s ridiculous) that we only get 30 minutes of playtime on the computer. that has seriously changed my computer habits-in a good way.

i have found that taking a 2 (or 1?) day hiatus from some of the unnecessary technologies, and making it a weekly thing, makes me feel like they are less of necessities and more of niceties. and it makes me think of things to do without them-like have picnics outside/go running/write in that journal of mine.

reminds me of that song “i love technology, but not as much as you, you see…but i still love technology…”
Kay
July 16th, 2009 @ 7:32 am

Technolgy doesn’t really do it for me. I am a technophobe and only use it when necessary. I use the old computer, as long it has internet I don’t care. I don’t have a mobile phone. Actually, that is a lie. My sister bought me one for my 40th birthday because she thought I was deprived. Her son had had 2 that year. That was a couple of years ago and I still haven’t used it even once. I do admit to not being able to live without a washing machine though. Electricity too is an issue, we have frequent power cuts where we live and it can be a problem. Cars too are something that I use but am not bothered about, any old thing that gets me from a to be will do. Admitedly next time I get a newish one I would love a car with air conditioning.

For my husband it is a different matter. He obsesses about getting an iphone, the latest laptop, the fastest car etc. I would rather have a new lipgloss!!
traci
July 16th, 2009 @ 8:43 am

This seems to be all the talk lately. I think we all struggle with these things.

do i dare mention something? – did we ever consider that this is what people used to say about inside toilets and electricity – let’s not borrow trouble on how terrible we are!
Katie
July 16th, 2009 @ 1:07 pm

We are definitely a technology family, yet for us it is all about priorities. For example, we will pay more for a high speed internet connection but we will never pay for cable because what little TV we do watch we watch online. We have a nice computer but we don’t have a television. We both have iPod touches, but since we never talk on the phone we only have very basic cell phones with a very basic cell phone plan (and no home phone). What matters is living within your means and buying what really makes sense for your family – and that’s going to look different for everybody.

Can I add, though, for all those people who are saying they want an iPhone but don’t want to pay the exorbitant fees to AT&T : consider just getting an iPod Touch. It’s pretty much an iPhone without the phone. You can still use all the same apps as long as you have access to a wifi connection.
bekah
July 16th, 2009 @ 1:20 pm

When my husband and his partner decided to get iPhones “for business purposes”, we had to switch cell carriers and I needed an new phone, since the one I had was ancient (and beat up, ’cause I’m kind of clumsy and prone to dropping small objects). I kept thinking to myself–I don’t need an iPhone, I hardly use my cell anyway. But then I decided, what the heck? and got one. Best. Phone. Ever.

Besides the GPS feature and the GroceryIQ app, I probably use my phone mostly to play solitaire and read my scriptures because I can actually hold it and feed my baby at the same time! And if it weren’t for the calendar’s Alert function, I would never be anywhere on time. The brightly colored case (see reference to clumsiness above) makes it super easy to find in my diaper bag as well. And I can use it calm my 3-year-old down by letting him watch videos of Yoda on Youtube. What did I do before it?

However, there are times when I wonder if I am becoming too dependent on technology. Then I just remind myself of the time I spent in Brazil as a missionary–I remember well how to do all my laundry by hand in a washtub, and what it is like to not have indoor plumbing, or have to wait 3 months to get an answer to a question you asked your parents in a letter. Those memories make me feel extremely grateful for the temporal blessings I have, and reassure me that if for some reason all of the modern conveniences I have today disappeared tomorrow, I would still be fine. A whole lot busier, but still fine. In the meanwhile, I’ll enjoy my iPhone!
ESO
July 16th, 2009 @ 1:22 pm

Living without running water or electricity for more than 3 years did a pretty good job of keeping me grateful for technology.

I think that whatever we feel is “normal” is awfully hard to live without much less feel grateful for. When you live in a society where paying hundreds of extra dollars for a “cool” phone, where the number of computers you own rivals the number of people in the family, where you don’t give dishwashers, washing machines, or refrigeration a second thought, you are likely not to feel special gratitude; instead you will probably feel entitled and justify why it makes sense for you to have those gadgets.

The post is good evidence of reflection, but it seems to include as much justification. I liked the comment that mentioned treasuring these material things. I see more and more people with digital scriptures at church and I understand the convenience, but when I am sitting beside a sister in my ward who works two jobs and still can’t afford health insurance for her family, I would feel like a complete ass pulling out my iphone to read my paragraph from the lesson manual.
Jennie
July 16th, 2009 @ 3:39 pm

With all due respect to Joe J. Christensen, we’re not Amish! Where is the commandment to avoid all luxuries? There is nothing wrong with things going from luxury to necessity. At some point bar soap, an oven and indoor plumbing were all seen as luxuries.

If having an iphone or a snazzy laptop were a bad thing, then I’m sure somebody would mention it at General Conference. As long as you don’t go into debt, who cares?

(I do put my foot down as far as a Nintendo DS goes, though. My kids are zombie-ish enough as it is. And I don’t have a TV. But that’s just because I hate deciding which TV shows are OK for my kids to watch. How about none of them?)

P.S. Heather, my Macbook Air could kick your Dell’s butt.
Michelle L.
July 16th, 2009 @ 8:40 pm

love this post Heather. I just got a laptop in April and I ADORE it. It stores phone numbers and my calendar and photos and 90% of my brain.

Technology helps those of us who aren’t naturally organized keep track of our lives.

I remember when my dad bought one of the first Apple computers back in 1982. I cried because I was hanging onto the idea of being Laura Ingalls Wilder. I’m so over that.
aknel@girlsandnylons
July 17th, 2009 @ 8:33 am

One day people will no longer need cars.
Michaela Stephens
July 17th, 2009 @ 4:15 pm

I think Amanda has a great idea–taking a break from technology every once in a while. What if we selected a particular day as a Sabbath from technology?

Technology is very useful and yet it is so easy to use it to waste time and avoid face-to-face interaction (“If I’m on my phone no one will want to interrupt me and talk to me”) This is why it is good to voluntarily pull ourselves out of it every now and again.

I don’t have a cell phone. I’ve begun to think of things I could do with one that would be more convenient, but I’m still okay without it. I do have a Macbook though, and that feels very much like a necessity. And sometimes I feel like I waste time on it, so I have to pull myself out of it and do something active.. until I think of another something to write about.
Natasha
July 19th, 2009 @ 4:42 pm

I know Mary Ellen Edmunds has also used the “there, there” quote before in her talks. I just recently got a cell phone and I leave it at home as well as taking time away from my laptop. I’m reminded of the CES fireside by Elder Bednar titled “Things as They Really Are.” Media can sure have a powerful affect on us.
Sandi
July 20th, 2009 @ 11:39 am

What an awesome observation. I have one of those cute little mini laptops, it is brown. I call it my little brown baby. I “justified” it by the fact that I teach school online and I can take it with me anywhere and still work. Good one, huh?
Gary
September 14th, 2009 @ 1:41 pm

I mthink you are all sick. The only thing I really need is my guitar. I even wrote a song about it. “Some people say my guitar has no soul. But if it’s not in Heaven, maybe I don’t want to go.” Probably won’t get used in General Conference.