The "The Snare Of The Smartphone" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Walking out the door of my local supermarket when I noticed a few piles of flyers and small magazines.  Grabbed one of each and when I got home I began leafing through the couple I had taken from the store.  The most interesting one was titled "Amish Country News" which was a 38 page magazine.  Page after page of interesting articles, many dealing with the Amish and their way of life in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  The one story that I enjoyed the most was one titled "smartphones - The Amish Community's Pandora's box?" If you are not familiar with the phrase "Pandora's box," it is an item from ancient lore that today means "Any source of great and unexpected troubles" or "A present which seems valuable, but which in reality is a curse."  The story goes on to ask if the smartphone is really a valuable gift or is it a curse for the Amish?  I can still remember a few years ago when I stopped an an Amish company that was making Amish Buggies.  I was introduced to a young man about 25 years old who showed me around the building and explained to me how they produced their Amish buggies.  When I grabbed my tablet and pencil he questioned me as to why I don't take my notes on my iPhone.  I asked him, "Do you have a cell phone?"  "Sure, we all have cell phones."  Seems that cell phones were adopted by some of the Amish as soon as they became accessible to mainstream society.  Actually, the Amish had telephones as early as 1910 when a division occurred in the Amish Church based on the effect the telephone had on the community.  The Old Order Amish allowed telephones, but they weren't allowed in their home.  By the 1950's most Amish farms had phone booths at the entrance to the road leading to their property and each booth had a landline in it.  It had certain restrictions, but could be used for emergencies. By the 1980's, as many Amish moved away from making their living by farming, they had businesses that needed the use of a landline telephone.  Then cell phones came along and it was harder to keep them out of the home.  All of a sudden these devices became the "world in one's pocket."  Not only that...it could take photos, video, play games, access the internet, social media, gambling, dating, and the list goes on and on.  The smart phone became a polarizing item among the Amish.  So, what do the Amish think of today's smartphones.  A few year's ago a meeting was called among the Amish Church to create one, unilateral approach to cell phones among the Amish.  A policy was decided upon, but fell apart immediately after the meeting dismissed.  Seems that the cell phone is an enigma among the Amish.  Recently a book was published titled "The Snare of the Smartphone."  It was printed in Pennsylvania and was designed to warn Plain Sect members (Amish and similar churches) of the pitfalls of smartphones.  It mostly says that total prohibition is the answer.  There are two main topics: Pornography and Social Media.  So...what will happen in the future with the Amish and their smartphones?  I believe that the younger generation of Amish isn't much different than any other group of people who just can't put their cell phones down.  I guess the answer might have to do with technology.  Can someone help the Amish create safeguards for their phones where social media and pornography can be eliminated.  Nah!  Amish kids are just as smart as any other kids and they will circumvent any restrictions put upon them by their elders.  I'll bet a few of them already have ways to get past any restrictions and are trying to figure a way to make money off of their ideas.  And...it's going to happen!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.