Well, I also feel grumpy today and normally never involve myself in threads or reply forum users who, in my opinion, are confrontational or judgmental on other forum users behavours.
If you don't like a thread, the best thing is just to ignore it. That way it will soon enough disappear.
There are numerous threads related to this very question on the forum, and they seem to display the different views people have on taking or leaving phones,tablets,electronics at home.
This forum promotes individuals to express their experience or thoughts about
Camino De Santiago.
*Where experienced pilgrims share and novice pilgrims learns*, well, something like that.
In my opinion there is absolutely not a thing wrong with going on a camino WITHOUT electronics!
It can be a wonderful experience and something new in comparison with todays more or less normal living with smart phones, internet, staying connected and on schedule each and every day.
Back in the 70's and 80', I traveled as a youth and back then we never phoned home, as it was way to expensive, so we wrote a couple of postcards, which most often arrived after we ourselves were back home.
To completely unplug can be liberating but also difficult.
Luckily, in my experience, there is available internet in almost all towns along the way, so opting to leave phone home, can be translated to * don't call me, I will call you*.
In my opinion, there is EQUALLY nothing wrong with going WITH electronics.
If it feels right to be reachable and keep in touch with family, friends,.. via phone, twitter, blog, whatnot.., then that is the right thing to do!
The phone may even be part of helping or supporting a fellow pilgrim. The use and help it may provide is indiscutable.
There is not a single way to view this question.
Each to their own way to do it, is how I see it.
What I do react on is that, to me, the people option to go 'sans device', is relaxed and maybe a little nervous about it.
This is why they start a thread. To get second opinions and thoughts on their decision to go with or without devices.
In no way, I read this as being judgmental on other pilgrims choices.
There is nothing 'better', 'original', 'authentic', about it.
It is
just another way to have a camino experience.
But the experience I have from other threads is, that people who wants to walk with their device, feel offended or confronted by it.
Don't.
No one other than YOU knows what is best for you.
Family, medical history, work, old parents, young children, pet parrot who needs to hear your voice...
I don't know.. Just, needed to steam off a bit. Lately I'v been reading about improving the camino, smoking out door, electric coil,...
Many issues that I could have an opinion on... But this one..makes sense for me!
For one month of your life, unconnect (you won't as it is almost impossible today), take a long walk, focus on the now, the people around you,
spend some time focusing on being where you are.
I believe that is can be a great help to discover what one needs and what one does not need.
There you have it.
It is just my experience and I guess my forum name suggest some of what I have written.
No offense meant.
Lettinggo