Don't let technology rule your lives

To the editor:
In The Examiner weekend edition of July 26-27, I read Jason Offutt’s article on cell phones. I could not agree with him more.
It bugs me that people do not have the common courtesy anymore to even hang up their cell phone to check out at the grocery store. I’m sure that the clerk checking them out feels as if they are not even important enough for this person to hang up and conversate with them. Our bank even has a sign saying, please hang up cell phones for transactions, I thought that was just common sense.
We can take it one step further and see how everything is electronically done now. I know I personally enjoy getting cards and letters in the mail and I know my bills are coming faithfully. Will our children even be able to sit down and actually write a letter or even know how to address an envelope to mail a letter?
I have cards and letters from friends and family from years ago that I cherish, I don’t think an e-mail get well wish or a happy birthday text is the same. What memories could they contain? Can we pull them out 30 years from now and reminisce? I guess you could print out a dull black and white sheet of paper, but that would not be very sentimental.
Then of course there is paying bills online. Many companies and banks now offer incentives for paying your bills that way. These services that everyone sees as convenient is another way of us and our money being controlled by machines. Not to mention the loss of jobs for the bank teller that processes the checks, or the mail room employee that processes the payments. Or how about the loss of business by the United States Postal Service, which is a part of American history.
I personally refuse to pay bills or send greetings online, via text or any other new age device available now. I will stick to sending cards to loved ones that light up with a smile to get a card or hello on the other end of the mailbox, and when we get these “electric glitches,” my phone bill will be safely on the way to its destination via the postal service.
I enjoy the Internet just as much as the next person, for its endless amount of information at your fingertips, but I use it just for that. This way also keeps me from worrying about my identity or banking information being stolen by someone hundreds of miles away.
I know you are probably thinking I’m someone just longing for the “good ol’ days,” but my husband and I are only 33 and have only gotten to read about those days. With all the crazy things going on in the world today, we need to step back and live life in the slow lane for a while. I promise that life will go on without cell phones, e-mail, online banking and text messages.
It’s funny, I had to hand write this letter because I could not get my printer to work, computers!