Shawnee Love   •  
March 8, 2010

When I tell people that I don’t carry a blackberry, the looks I get are hilarious. The more polite try to disguise their shock behind compassion and gentle leading questions designed to help me understand how wonderful it is to have access to your email 24/7 no matter where  you are. The less polite snort and then chortle about a dinosaur in their midst and ask me what it feels like not to be connected to what is going on in the world. I have had a few kindly types offer to help me choose the right one for me and even help me get a deal with their friend who of course sells them and will “set me up”.
There are lots of other responses within that continuum, but by and large, they are all coming from the perspective of a blackberry is a must!

First of all, kudos to RIM. Clearly, they have become the uber brand as they have insinuated themselves into Maslow’s hierarchy of needs on the first level (as important as food, water, and security)!

But now, to set the record straight. I am not refusing to own a blackberry because I don’t know how to use one. I have in fact carried a “crackberry” for years and didn’t give up my habit up until last year. My blackberry was with me on trips, on weekends and I am sad to say, even in the delivery room when I was in labour with my two children, although more for purposes of calling to deliver the good news than to check my emails mid-contraction.

It isn’t the money, and I am not trying to be a rebel although at times it feels a bit lonely to be the only one at a lunch meeting who isn’t scrolling to see what is going on.

For me, not owning a blackberry is about a personal philosophy I am working very hard to maintain. It is about being totally present in whatever I am doing, whether driving, visiting with friends, spending time with family, or working. It is about giving the person I am with my undivided attention. And it is about balance and staying grounded to what is real. And if you are reading this article and thinking this chick is on crack or at least should be on a “crackberry”, then check out this interview with Tachi Yamada, the President of the Global Health Program of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Not only does he have similar reasons for not carrying a blackberry, but he has fantastic advice on change management for managers and business owners and also on how to hire and manage people through change.

We “dinosaurs” may be few and far between, but at least we are in good company.

Oh, and one more thing.  If you are wondering how I stay in touch when I am out of the office, the answer is, I do it the good old fashioned way: I answer my phone, and I always call back people who leave messages.