7 years ago Mike Moyers
How long can you go without picking yours up?
I was having coffee with my business buds this week when the topic of cell phones came up. One person, who had left his phone at our restaurant of choice a few weeks before, lamented that he had left the house without his phone this morning….again.
“And I had to drive all the way back to my house, go up the stairs into the bedroom and get the damn thing,” he grumbled.
So, I asked the other 2 if they had a particular spot in the house where they always put their phone. The answers were surprising.
“I leave mine in the truck,” one gentleman responded. “I don’t have to carry it around; it stays in the truck until I get to work….or I come here,” he said while holding it up.
“Mine is always in the same place at the house,” said another. “I get home and hook it up to the charger so it’s ready to go the next morning.”
I then asked if they felt they were on a short leash. Because they are.
“No doubt,” answered Man #1. “We can’t get away from the damn things (cell phones).”
“I liked it when you could sneak off and nobody knew where you were,” added Man #2. “There are times when you just need some space; and not somebody calling you or asking you something stupid.”
“Yeah, me too,” added Man #3. “Don’t get me wrong; these things are nice to have, but everyone is addicted to them.”
And that’s where I stand on the subject of cell phones; they’re nice but our society has become so dependent on them that we feel naked without them. For years I used one of those nasty Nokia phones. You know, the ones with no data, bad texting soft wear and horrible reception. Yeah, that one. Then, about 10 years ago my boss mandated that I get a Blackberry (remember those?). Whoa, data, texting, great range…..good stuff.
A few years later I got my first android phone and that opened my eyes to just how stupid one person could be. This was the new swipe this and punch that variety and I quickly learned that this trooper was in WAY over his head. Being the technical wonk that I think I am, I asked no questions and nodded my head like a bobble head doll as the 22 year old chick with the purple hair who sold me the phone described the features in about 10 minutes. She swiped and scrolled and punched and pulled and made that new phone do all kinds of neat stuff.
But she didn’t show me how to turn it on or off. Or maybe she did and I was too busy trying to pay attention that I didn’t.
Anyway, I thanked her, got into my car and drove to the nearest grocery store and sat in the parking lot until I could figure out how to turn the damn thing on. And that took a while.
No joke.
Needlesss to say I, like everyone on the planet, feel like I’m cheating on my phone whenever I don’t keep it charged or, heaven forbid, forget and leave it at home.
But like my coffee friends I long for the day when I could just sneak off and be left alone to my own thoughts. Not have to worry about missing a call or a text or an email. Just handle life at my own pace and the hell with the rest.
And then I think about the 2 generations behind me who have NEVER had those moments of solice; the ones who have had a cell phone in their hand almost their entire lives and don’t know anything different.
You know, I kinda feel sorry for them. They don’t know they don’t know. And they certainly don’t know what they’re missing.
So, put the phone down; slowly back away from it and go outside. These guys did and look how comfortable they are. 
