Ancient Wisdom’s Rejection of the Digital Age
▼ Summary
– Joseph Epstein, 88, critiques the digital age’s complications, arguing that constant change makes life more difficult rather than better.
– He acknowledges computers’ benefits for writing and research but finds digital culture’s negatives, like technical glitches and password issues, equally frustrating.
– Epstein avoids modern car and TV technology due to their complexity, preferring older, simpler models he can operate without computer assistance.
– He suspects his age contributes to his struggles with technology and resents the time wasted on digital tasks, feeling time is precious in his late 80s.
– While recognizing the temptation to complain in old age, he strives to avoid “grizzling” and remains grateful for his health and ability to work.
Navigating the digital world in one’s eighties presents a unique set of challenges, even for those who embrace certain aspects of technology. Joseph Epstein, an 88-year-old essayist, shares his mixed experiences with modern devices, acknowledging their benefits while expressing deep frustration over their complexities. As part of a series on aging gracefully, his reflections reveal a tension between appreciating technological advances and longing for simpler times.
Epstein admits that as a writer, he couldn’t avoid adopting computers entirely. Revising manuscripts digitally offers clear advantages over older methods, and search engines like Google serve as invaluable tools for fact-checking and memory aids. He regularly discovers interesting articles on sites such as The Washington Free Beacon and Substack, enriching his intellectual life without relying on them for primary news.
Yet the downsides of digital culture feel equally significant. Routine tasks become ordeals, repeated failed attempts to connect to iCloud, mysterious scanner disconnections, and baffling update requests plague his computing experience. He avoids podcasts and social media, and a brief stint on LinkedIn ended in password resets and login dead ends. His patience wears thin with each new technological hurdle.
These struggles extend beyond the computer. Epstein drives an 18-year-old Jaguar, not just for its elegance but because newer models overwhelm him with computerized systems. He prefers turning a key in the ignition to navigating touchscreen dashboards or voice-guided navigation. When his old Sony television failed, installing a new Samsung model required a $100 visit from the Geek Squad, a stark contrast to the simplicity he once knew.
Online shopping proves equally trying. After a frustrating 40-minute effort to order shirts from Jos. A. Bank, filled with password resets and verification loops, he resorted to calling customer service. Endless hold music and robotic reassurances tested his resolve. He wonders how much of his difficulty stems from age, acknowledging a simmering resentment toward technologies that promise efficiency but deliver complication.
He reflects on the temptation in later life to idealize the past, quoting Diana Athill’s memoir on aging, which warns against “grizzling”, complaining tiresomely. Epstein strives to avoid this, counting his blessings each night and waking grateful for health, longevity, and the ability to continue working. Still, he finds digital barriers increasingly irksome. Time feels more precious than ever, and he resents wasting it on tech support or cumbersome interfaces.
In the end, Epstein leans toward the view that “the more things change, the more they change”, and not always for the better. His personal utopia would be a return to the status quo ante, a simpler era free from digital intrusions. While he knows this ideal is unattainable, his candid account underscores a universal yearning for autonomy and ease, especially in life’s later chapters.
(Source: THE FREE PRESS)