Light Lens: A Luddite’s lament

by T. Touris – 

The Luddites were a group of English textile workers in the early 19th century who were really ticked off about the new-fangled weaving machines that had come on the scene. As legend has it, one Ned Ludd got in such a tizzy that he took a sledgehammer and smashed a couple of automated stocking knitters. Thus a movement was born.

Having spent the three plus decades twiddling bits and bytes on computers, I’ve come to relate to old Ned. But Ned was worried about his and his fellow co-worker’s jobs. I’m worried about my sanity. Simplicity and self-reliance are my tonic. So, after relocating to the hinterlands of Canadice I was thrilled to have a wood-burning stove. I’d be able to indulge my Luddite urges and heat the house at the same time. I wielded the splitting maul with Ned-like determination, seeing in each log the form of a boxy computer or inkjet printer. Unfortunately, before I could settle into my chair and read Thoreau by firelight, the sweaty haze of self-delusion had worn off.

Inconvenient truths have smothered my Luddite fire. The wood now burning in our high-efficiency stove was delivered by diesel truck. The smoke ascends up a marvel of triple wall, shiny stainless steel pipe. I am not writing these words with a quill pen and I’m not lounging about in hand-knitted socks. What’s a wannabe Luddite to do?

I guess I’ll see if I can pull up some old episodes of Little House on the Prairie on Netflix.