The story is told that Alexander Graham Bell absolutely refused to have a phone in his house. In is senior years the family insisted he have a phone for security and safety reason. He finally gave in, but with the stipulation it would have no ringer! All he cared to do was call out when the fancy struck him, he wanted NO incoming messages. He was very outspoken about what an intrusion on life his invention had become!
Have no idea how true this is, but it would be ironic to say the least!
What I really hate is how people have come to feel you have some obligation to answer their call or return their call. The get absolutely incensed if you don’t pick up or call them back. There are people that I simply have interest in talking to and I avoid them like the plague. Thank goodness for caller ID!
Remember all the static that came about before caller ID was approved? Somehow people thought they had the right to call you without you knowing who was calling. My solution is to have my phone ring only when the caller is identified and even then I feel it’s my right to ignore anyone I want to ignore!
If you are sitting in your living room and someone rings the doorbell, do you get up and answer the door? Same thing. I actually don't get up all the time, especially if I am not expecting anyone, but it seems to be a long-standing social convention. In business, it is absolutely essential to answer all customer calls within a reasonable time frame.
These days, I usually don't answer the landline, and we will probably get rid of it one of these days. Anyone who wants to get hold of me can call my cell. The cell phone has caller ID and I can choose who to answer. If I want it not to ring, I can turn the ringer off or put it on vibrate or turn the whole thing off.
Einstein felt the same way about his H-Bomb.