wendell for wednesday

Wendell in response to the question, “What have you gained from your wholesale avoidance of electronic media?”

The avoidance is not “wholesale,” which it cannot be. When I want to, I listen to the radio, and television is unavoidable in airports, some doctors’ waiting rooms, and other public places. I have a telephone. And a writer does not dare to submit work to most publishers except by email. I have a very capable friend who does this computer work for me.

I try to keep away from screens of all kinds, and I am less and less attracted to the radio. There are three advantages, or three results, that are important to me: a fairly continuous awareness of this place in which I live and of which I limitlessly desire to be aware; freedom from the talk of media people who are afraid to be quiet; and maybe enough time for reading.