Maybe I'm Amish somewhere.

I do have German roots, though it's the Scottish and Irish you see.

I'm not always a big advocate of cutting-edge technology. I can cite examples, like we might be the only family I know with no iPods, laptops, or hand-held video game players and our game console is as old as our marriage.
Really. And one of our phones still has a cord to connect it to the receiver. We do have an answering machine, though.

It occurred to me how anachronistic that must be lately when we got a phone call from a former neighbor. Her beau and some friends were going to help us get some concrete poured in the back yard; they were going to put in the forms. I was going to call her back with when a good time would be, so I asked for her number.
"Don't you have caller-ID?"
"Nope."
Yes, we still just hang up on political solicitations, charity tin cups, and credit card service offers. We are on the federal no-call list so we don't get general telemarketers, though we have gotten a home siding company a few times. It's rare enough that I don't think it's the same one.

Back to caller-ID. What did people do before you knew who was calling without picking up? You answered the phone. Or didn't, then checked for a message. Before that, you just missed the call. Shocking, I know, but the world kept turning.
I wonder what people did before Call-Waiting, as well. If there's a ruder invention than that, I've yet to see it. "Yes, I'm having a conversation with you, but if someone else calls, I'm going to take that call and make YOU wait. Or I'll end this call because someone else has interrupted it." So we don't have that feature, either.
Now, a caveat: I understand medical emergencies. Or rescheduling doctor's appointments. Or if you're standing up in a wedding two days hence and the bride calls about arrangements of some kind. Those are probably going to be more important than whatever we're discussing.
But as a general rule, I find it rude. I can only recall one person who makes it a habit not to interrupt his calls when another rings through, and I already had a tremendous amount of respect for my father-in-law.

So I got to thinking on these "life enhancing" phone features. What did people do before Caller-ID and Call-Waiting? They answered the phone, or callers got a busy signal. The world kept turning.
What did people do before telephones? When appointments were made in person or by mail? Sure, it was more difficult and time-consuming, but the world moved more slowly. I don't think that was such a bad thing.

Like I said, maybe there's some Amish in there.