Some relatives were visiting for the holidays, and somehow or another the topic of bank accounts came up. A family member hadn’t opened a savings account for their toddler yet and didn’t even use a savings account for their own finances. I’ve had a savings account since I was born. I can’t imagine keeping track of my finances without the help of my bank (nor could I justify not earning – although minimal – interest on my savings).
Later on, we flipped through our 100 or so cable channels to try and find a football score, and I learned the same family member without more than a checking account has also never had cable and recently got rid of her home internet service. Her family can afford these services, but chooses not to have them. And it’s not that they live in the boondocks and are completely old fashioned either. Her family lives 30 minutes from the city and she works in an office where she uses computers most of the day.
Needless to say, I was dumbfounded. I can’t imagine not having the Internet, cable, a savings account. And I just got an internet-enabled phone so I can stay even more connected to my e-mail, Twitter, and even my three bank accounts! How can my relatives get by in today’s world of hyper-connection and information-on-demand?
I remember when my last living grand parent passed away. My family went through the house from top-to-bottom looking for miscellaneous coffee cans, shoe boxes, and other containers filled with my grandpa’s hidden savings. He had bank accounts, sure, but he also kept cash on hand – probably more than was really necessary. I also have older family members who still don’t do e-mail or have home computers… but I can understand their ability to survive without because the technology wasn’t around for most of their lives.
Then there’s my own childhood. I remember when I was in grade school and my family didn’t own a computer. There was a time when I wasn’t connected to the world beyond those people I called on the telephone. But I can’t imagine being a child these days, growing up without the ability to connect with kids halfway across the world. And I can’t imagine not wanting to connect (at least some of the time) for purposes beyond what your job demands.
There is definitely something to be said for playing in the backyard and creating imaginary worlds with your dolls and action heroes, but once you’re past the age of play-dates and night games how do you survive without an Internet connection? I do like a weekend here or there away from technology. But to live every day without the ease of looking up a recipe, flipping through the latest headlines, and accessing financial statements with the click of a mouse… that is not something I think I can compromise. Cable… yea, I could survive with just the network channels.
But how does someone in their mid-thirties live each day of their life without what has become a basic necessity? Are you 18-40 years of age and “unconnected” at home? Can you live a life without the ability to connect at the flip of a switch? Help me imagine surviving in that world…
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