… is the title of an unwritten dissertation.
In my monastic experience, I’ve taken a tack that welcomes some tech and shuns others. I don’t think there’s a single approach that would fit all eremetic or monastic lifestyles, but the topic warrants deliberation, and a thoughtful approach in any case.
My use of technology will likely shift over time, but I clearly depend on it in the following ways:
- I’m on the grid, and three of my four utilities’ use is monitored digitally.
- I use the internet.
- run my business
- get the news
- communicate as needed with family and friends
- order provisions
- research
- I have cell service which enables continuity between many of my devices and when I am not at Mons Domus.
- I have smart speakers and use them to manage Mons Domus as a ‘smart home.’
That’s a lot of tech. That’s a lot of tech used in interfacing with the outer world- how can I justify this in my life as a hermit?
- Necessity. Utilities and the business are, at present, fundamental necessities to steering this ship. Obtaining provisions via the web is more energy efficient and with COVID, safer.
- Responsibility: I am a part of my son’s and a small handful of friends’ worlds; there is a select social reliance that I have not abandoned. Our interactions have reduced substantially since I entered my hermitage in all earnestness, but those that we maintain are of substance. With the pandemic, digital interactions are prudent. This may shift when the pandemic eases. Similarly, an objective skimming of the news helps me participate as a world citizen without compromising much in the way of solitude.
- The final applications of tech at Mons Domus are, indeed, of convenience. They might even be perceived as luxury. So why?
In traditional religious monasticism, a monk’s life is one of searching. It’s an inward search for something greater and profound, a spiritual connectedness with god. It’s a bit like taking a telescope to a dark mountain so that the subtler, yet ubiquitous stars can be seen. The searching in my secular monasticism is not dissimilar. I seek a quiet life to gain sensitivity to the connectedness between things, to experience unity with other living things even the physical universe as a whole. The important difference is that in my eremitic experience, the search is for tangible connectedness, not and intangible spirituality.
Fostering stillness is the function of the tech. There’s not a moral judgement upon tech or modernity in my monasticism. The services that tech provides assist by making my routine more efficient, helping me gain access to music and books that enrich my contemplation. They don’t make my life easier. I still cook, manage the firewood, tend the menagerie and the grounds. They do improve the quality of my contemplation, studies, and pursuits with the added depth of information and experience.
Is that a rationalization? Sure. This whole monastic experiment is rationalized. It’s a deliberately designed lifestyle that supports and justifies my coping with the undeniable call to solitude. That’s okay. Our inner narratives define us as individuals, and are impetus for our actions and interactions. Finding a rational basis to manage our narratives can help us navigate our journeys with purpose and for a greater good.