We seem to want to be more connected these days, but not in a good way. We use media such as Facebook, Twitter, Cell Phones and Texting; instead of gatherings and face to face conversation. Too many people would be lost without their cell phone/mobile device. Most days, I would like to lose mine. It’s great for emergencies but I don’t always want to be reachable 24 x 7. Whatever happened to privacy? I should not have to drop everything whenever that electronic device goes off.
How many times have you been to lunch, dinner, or a party and while talking to someone they will immediately drop the conversation as soon as their phone goes off? It’s as if you, the live person, are somehow less important than that incoming message/call. Would it really be the end of the world if you ignored that device until after your meal?
Some might argue it could be an emergency. I have two counter-arguments for that – just how often is that really the case in proportion to the number of interruptions you receive, and how did we handle these things before cell phones? I don’t ever remember the world coming to a screeching halt every time someone couldn’t be reached for an hour or two, in the pre-cell phone era. You should be able to glance at your phone and determine in an instant whether it’s an emergency. If you must answer and discover it’s not an emergency, tell the person you will get back to them.
In addition, what kind of a testament is it to our society when a child can’t be away from home without a cell phone because the parents want to be able to reach them at a moment’s notice? I remember being gone from morning until dinner time as a kid, and my parents didn’t drive around the neighborhood or call all my friends homes every hour to see where I was and if I was all right. Are fear and uncertainty now the driving factors in our lives? Or are we all turning into control freaks?
While I do believe that a cell phone can be handy for emergencies like driving at night and having car trouble, I do not want to be tied to some electronic device so that someone can interrupt me any time of the day or night. It may be convenient for them, but it can be annoyingly inconvenient for me. If I want to go away for an afternoon or weekend of peace, quiet, privacy and a re-charge of my internal batteries, I shouldn’t have to answer to the electronic ball and chain.
So if you call or text and I don’t answer right away, merely assume I’m busy doing something else, and will get back to you when I have time. If you don’t hear back in three or four days, then maybe it could be an emergency or then again, maybe my batteries are still charging.
About musingmirror
A writer of many genres, always in search of creative inspiration.
MusingMirror 2 
Disconnect Me
We seem to want to be more connected these days, but not in a good way. We use media such as Facebook, Twitter, Cell Phones and Texting; instead of gatherings and face to face conversation. Too many people would be lost without their cell phone/mobile device. Most days, I would like to lose mine. It’s great for emergencies but I don’t always want to be reachable 24 x 7. Whatever happened to privacy? I should not have to drop everything whenever that electronic device goes off.
How many times have you been to lunch, dinner, or a party and while talking to someone they will immediately drop the conversation as soon as their phone goes off? It’s as if you, the live person, are somehow less important than that incoming message/call. Would it really be the end of the world if you ignored that device until after your meal?
Some might argue it could be an emergency. I have two counter-arguments for that – just how often is that really the case in proportion to the number of interruptions you receive, and how did we handle these things before cell phones? I don’t ever remember the world coming to a screeching halt every time someone couldn’t be reached for an hour or two, in the pre-cell phone era. You should be able to glance at your phone and determine in an instant whether it’s an emergency. If you must answer and discover it’s not an emergency, tell the person you will get back to them.
In addition, what kind of a testament is it to our society when a child can’t be away from home without a cell phone because the parents want to be able to reach them at a moment’s notice? I remember being gone from morning until dinner time as a kid, and my parents didn’t drive around the neighborhood or call all my friends homes every hour to see where I was and if I was all right. Are fear and uncertainty now the driving factors in our lives? Or are we all turning into control freaks?
While I do believe that a cell phone can be handy for emergencies like driving at night and having car trouble, I do not want to be tied to some electronic device so that someone can interrupt me any time of the day or night. It may be convenient for them, but it can be annoyingly inconvenient for me. If I want to go away for an afternoon or weekend of peace, quiet, privacy and a re-charge of my internal batteries, I shouldn’t have to answer to the electronic ball and chain.
So if you call or text and I don’t answer right away, merely assume I’m busy doing something else, and will get back to you when I have time. If you don’t hear back in three or four days, then maybe it could be an emergency or then again, maybe my batteries are still charging.
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About musingmirror
A writer of many genres, always in search of creative inspiration.