Category: Embracing Digital Minimalism

My millennial son called me a ‘late-stage capitalist’ after I subscribed to several popular meditation apps. I was confused more than insulted. The meditation apps were for calming me down, if that was even possible. Was I really handing more money over to those avaricious tech bros, the ones attempting to turn every facet of…

When I first embraced digital minimalism, I thought about buying a simple flip “dumb phone”. But I couldn’t find one that carried only WhatsApp and a camera so continued using my Google Pixel 6. I have since learned that even so-called “smart phones” can be diabolically dumb. At least the tech networks that connect them…

Have you looked in a mirror lately?  We hear that expression a lot these days. It asks someone to reflect on their own behavior before critizing others. Most people, though, are no longer interested in that kind of microscopic self-scrutiny. Instead, they look at their phones. Tech devices are the modern go-to tools for self-awareness. Notifications flashing across a screen provide instant love from virtual…

I’ve never been known to shy away from outrage. Pick a subject, any subject, and I can probably work myself into a lather over it. Once, I was even asked if I was outraged over the birth of quintuplets at a hospital in Ottawa.  It happened on Morningside, a popular 1980’s radio program in my country. Once…

When my children were young, I consulted a lot of parenting books and magazines looking for help. On the subject of character building, I latched onto a particularly useful and memorable piece of advice.  “Try to do a good deed every day,” I instructed Lilly and her younger brother Jay, parroting an article I’d read…

Like everyone else on the planet, I need a respite from the noise of the Internet. What if digital technology offered a path to tranquility? Would I be violating my commitment to digital minimalism? Not if it adds value to my life.  Not everything about technology is necessarily negative. There can be positives too. The…