Vlawde Posted March 9, 2016 #1 Share Posted March 9, 2016 (edited) I have a smartphone, and I'll admit to using it to surf the internet at breaks and lunch, and sometimes at home. I don't text, waste of time IMO when I can handle whatever in a short call and be done with it. At work, in stores, pretty much everywhere now, I see people constantly talking on their phones or texting. Seems like people can't even shop without constantly chatting with someone, like they can't stand to be alone with their thoughts....even when at a bank teller or grocery store, they ignore the clerks and other people around them. Don't even start me on selfies.. What's up with that? Edited March 9, 2016 by Vlawde 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubblykiss Posted March 9, 2016 #2 Share Posted March 9, 2016 The Indian Frybread House near me has a sign on the counter writ in bold black marker reading "on your cellphone? Great we'll serve the guy behind you first!". For the first time in human history we have the ability to have complete waking time entertainment saturation. 100% of our free-time can be occupied by things that involve not thinking about depressing things. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vlawde Posted March 9, 2016 Author #3 Share Posted March 9, 2016 Maybe I'm different then. I NEED to have quiet time by myself and my thoughts. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dyna Posted March 9, 2016 #4 Share Posted March 9, 2016 People will no longer get to know themselves. Deep thought is required to grow as an individual. Contemplation of things you see and hear and the study of what you feel requires quiet time. I believe the constant contact and need to be seen and heard is going to create shallow human beings. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiXilver Posted March 9, 2016 #5 Share Posted March 9, 2016 These phones are really just amazing digital magazines, that you can pull up any topic you might fancy anywhere, anytime. Not long ago, everyone on the train had their noses buried in books or newspapers and weren't engaging and talking the way we glamorize it. Folks have always enjoyed checking out of mundane reality, it's why fiction sells better than non... I miss some things about living in NYC. Taking the train and not owning a car are two of them. I got so much reading done while riding the train daily. It was one awesome upside. But there was never a grand schmoozing going on there, or at the markets, or at the deli. Folks mostly want to check out of their daily mundane life. It's very hard for most people to be alone with their core thinking, the deep abiding thoughts that always return when distractions diminish. Given a few moments of silence, or near silence, most folks will flee quickly to any distraction. They simply are not ready, or able to handle their own core thought forms, or to confront the tapes that endlessly loop from their reality tunnel. We're not different with our phones, vs the old newspapers and magazines, the phones just have many more options of topics and media type/video. The more things change, the more they stay the same. I have one of the android phones, got it for free as an incentive. Still haven't turned on the internet for it after a year. I use it to make calls. I use my wife's laptop to get on the internet for a bit, but not daily any longer. Around the time we got rid of broadcast and cable tv, my old computer tower died. So I decided to go on a media fast. It started out as a month... then six months. Now I'll get on my wife's computer briefly to read some things here, and on another forum I used to frequent. But I now much prefer to not have a non stop blathering stream of other people's thoughts going into my thought pond. After years of meditation and quiet. My inner world is quite calm and loving and pleasant, so the quiet moments are healing and revitalizing, not disquieting. Be careful what you think, or what you allow others to think for you, it becomes your reality. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubblykiss Posted March 9, 2016 #6 Share Posted March 9, 2016 People will no longer get to know themselves. Deep thought is required to grow as an individual. Contemplation of things you see and hear and the study of what you feel requires quiet time. I believe the constant contact and need to be seen and heard is going to create shallow human beings. Hell parents are trying extra hard to shield their children from any tragedy (including excluding their kids from meeting with dying great-grand parents). It thought and pain that compels us to grow, to become more than we were, to fully embrace life for what it is rather than the fantasy that it could be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barbco196 Posted March 9, 2016 #7 Share Posted March 9, 2016 I have my tablet and a ten year old kyocera cell phone. I have succumbed to the electronic age. I understand it is the future and there's not a darn thing I can do to change it. What I refuse to do, and will continue to refuse, is talking on my phone in public. I think it's rude and disrespectful. I also will not bury my self in my tablet if there are other people in my presence. I think it's vital we keep that human connection or we will be meeting the singularity very soon. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eldorado Posted March 9, 2016 #8 Share Posted March 9, 2016 A pacifier. Yap, yap, yap instead of smoke, smoke, smoke. Fancier the brand, classier the yapper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vlawde Posted March 9, 2016 Author #9 Share Posted March 9, 2016 I have my tablet and a ten year old kyocera cell phone. I have succumbed to the electronic age. I understand it is the future and there's not a darn thing I can do to change it. What I refuse to do, and will continue to refuse, is talking on my phone in public. I think it's rude and disrespectful. I also will not bury my self in my tablet if there are other people in my presence. I think it's vital we keep that human connection or we will be meeting the singularity very soon. I agree, it IS rude. And then they give people dirty looks like they are eavesdropping into a private conversation. You are in public, duh! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHaYap Posted March 10, 2016 #10 Share Posted March 10, 2016 The realisation came a wee bit too late I'm afraid ... now the world would surgically attach the contraption to themselves if it were possible or if it were allowed ~ ~ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vlawde Posted March 10, 2016 Author #11 Share Posted March 10, 2016 (edited) My job at break time Edited March 10, 2016 by Vlawde Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShadowSot Posted March 10, 2016 #12 Share Posted March 10, 2016 I spend most of my work day and time driving listening to podcasts and audio books. For me it keeps my brain engaged, work is pretty dull and driving to long can be as well. I start to tune out. If I have someone in the car I prefer to not even turn on the radio, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Careful_perspective Posted March 10, 2016 #13 Share Posted March 10, 2016 To play devils advocate, a lot of the time when I am looking at my phone I am looking at meaningful information. For example, today, while at the grocery store, I was looking up information on Sea Gulls. I personally would rather be learning something then making small talk with strangers. -shrugs- 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barbco196 Posted March 11, 2016 #14 Share Posted March 11, 2016 To play devils advocate, a lot of the time when I am looking at my phone I am looking at meaningful information. For example, today, while at the grocery store, I was looking up information on Sea Gulls. I personally would rather be learning something then making small talk with strangers. -shrugs- Seagulls=meaningful information? I suppose that demonstrates the generation gap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HandsomeGorilla Posted March 11, 2016 #15 Share Posted March 11, 2016 What's wrong with learning about Sea Gulls? Better than posting "I don't care what anyone thinks about me!" memes on Facebook. Anyway, if you see me on my phone in public, it's probably just to look busy so that no one bothers me. All I'm really doing is reloading my inbox 539 times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Careful_perspective Posted March 12, 2016 #16 Share Posted March 12, 2016 Seagulls=meaningful information? I suppose that demonstrates the generation gap. I don't understand why you would look down your nose at me wanting to look up information on Sea Gulls. As far as I am concerned any knowledge is good. I am sorry you feel that Sea Gulls isn't meaningful, but I won't go as far as to generalize your generation, but I will shake my head at your bias and ageism. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiXilver Posted March 12, 2016 #17 Share Posted March 12, 2016 Nicely put Rinna. It's always refreshing to witness someone be strong without being petty, or vindictive. You exhibit class and integrity. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Careful_perspective Posted March 12, 2016 #18 Share Posted March 12, 2016 Nicely put Rinna. It's always refreshing to witness someone be strong without being petty, or vindictive. You exhibit class and integrity. Thank you, you know very well that I admire you as well! You have much of the same optimism as I do. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vlawde Posted March 12, 2016 Author #19 Share Posted March 12, 2016 To play devils advocate, a lot of the time when I am looking at my phone I am looking at meaningful information. For example, today, while at the grocery store, I was looking up information on Sea Gulls. I personally would rather be learning something then making small talk with strangers. -shrugs- I google all the time, and with the phone I can just ASK, and the results load. My only gripe is use of phones all the time, at the exclusion of everything else. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHaYap Posted March 13, 2016 #20 Share Posted March 13, 2016 Let's not start on those that 'talks' with Siri and Alexa ~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darkenpath25 Posted March 16, 2016 #21 Share Posted March 16, 2016 (edited) I hate cell phones ! Give me a home phone I would rather come home and listen to our answering machine return my calls rather than someone yaking in my ear all day or texting me blind. I will not text back my friends family members or any girl I date . I think text messaging has gotten way out of hand . If someone wants to discuss something with me they can call me . Edited March 16, 2016 by Darkenpath25 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purplos Posted March 16, 2016 #22 Share Posted March 16, 2016 The access to knowledge and information is a wonderful thing. But if the bulk of your time is spent ingesting information, when do you have time to process, imagine and come up with ideas? I think a large part of cell phone use/addiction is because of stranger danger. I talk with a group of younger (teens and early 20s) semi-frequently and they all think things like saying hi to a person you pass on the sidewalk or striking up a brief chat in the supermarket is WEIRD and CREEPY! I understand people don't want to make boring small talk, but greeting someone or saying, "Gee, this line is slow," is basically human socialization 101. Eyes on the screen protects you from "crazy" friendly people I guess. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
little_dreamer Posted March 16, 2016 #23 Share Posted March 16, 2016 I have a 4 year old small Android phone. I'm too lazy to even put any apps on it. I am able to surf the web but my data plan is very low, for emergencies only. I'm almost embarrassed to take it out and use it in public, unlike those who display their latest iPhone and case proudly. I have no problem staring into space or relaxing for 30 minutes. I had plenty of practice when I was attending staff meetings, school lectures, 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vlawde Posted March 16, 2016 Author #24 Share Posted March 16, 2016 haha my perfect day is staring into space or relaxing! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golden Duck Posted March 17, 2016 #25 Share Posted March 17, 2016 I have a 4 year old small Android phone. I'm too lazy to even put any apps on it. I am able to surf the web but my data plan is very low, for emergencies only. I'm almost embarrassed to take it out and use it in public, unlike those who display their latest iPhone and case proudly. I have no problem staring into space or relaxing for 30 minutes. I had plenty of practice when I was attending staff meetings, school lectures, 4 years old!?!?Are you Amish? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now