Summary: I got rid of my cellphone this week. I just yanked another plug from the matrix and I’m a few steps closer to cultural freedom. Despite the fact that I’ve never been a big cellphone user, it’s still a liberating feeling.<br> My partner and I shared a phone that we kept in the car “just in case”. Somehow, our forgotten minutes expired which prompted us to confront the decision – to have or not to have. In our 14 years together it was the quickest joint decision we’ve ever made. Hands down, “not to have” won out. No contest. The end. Buh bye techno distraction.<br> Since we made the decision to move across the country, leave city life behind and simplify our lives in ways that honor our core selves, we’ve been been feeling increasingly liberated with each decision to unplug from mainstream culture and take back our essential nature of interbeing.<br> The reactions from friends and acquaintances has been surprising. For the most part, people are applauding our decision (although we know that they won’t be parting with their beloved electronic leashes anytime soon). Of course, there is the typical “what happens in an emergency” question. An expected question with the same feel as the “where do you get your protein?” question that often follows the knowledge of my vegan lifestyle choice. These questions expose deeply rooted fears perpetuated by a culture that wants to ensure that we remain consumptive, conforming automatons. I’ve coined a phrase for this rote line of conversation. I call it trance talk. Mindless chatter with no critical thought. Automaton talk.<br> So how do I answer the “what happens in an emergency” question? Well, my reply is three-fold.<br> First, I believe that if we move through the world continually fearing a looming emergency, that is what we manifest. The reason I embraced the cellphone culture in the first place was because I wanted the “what happens in an emergency” fear mongers off my back truth be told. And here’s the reality, in the 10 or so years that I’ve sporadically owned a cellphone, there’s never been enough of an emergency to warrant the money wasted on the darned thing.<br> Second, if there ever is an emergency, I’m often not in cellphone range anyways which prompts me to rely on my inner guidance instead. For me, it’s far more important to cultivate this important inner quality than it is to rely on a piece of ornery technology that doesn’t have the reliable track record that my intuition does.<br> Last, my answer to the “what happens in an emergency” question is that I’ll do what I’ve done for far more years than the years that I’ve ever owned a cellphone. I’ll knock on a neighbor’s door and ask for help or just flag someone down on the road. I’ve been aching for a return to community and have found it where I’m now living. People are good here and there’s nothing to fear like there can be in many cities.<br> The elimination of a cellphone in my life is an empowering return to what matters most – connection, community, and face-to-face conversation. I personally feel that every step away from convenience and technological distraction is a running leap towards peaceful living and Self liberation.<br> And peaceful living is what this week’s Unplug podcast interview is all about.<br> This week I speak with Dr. Will Tuttle, author of the extremely powerful book “The World Peace Diet: Eating for Spiritual Health and Social Harmony.”.<br> Will is a tireless advocate for peaceful living. On his website he states:<br> “If you could sum my message up in a simple phrase, it would be: Respect for all life.”<br> Indeed, he is one person who truly lives his talk. He and his wife Madeleine tour the world presenting workshops and lectures to people interested in living more compassionately, sustainably and spiritually by embracing a vegan lifestyle.<br> He also states on his website:<br>
