The joys of our cellphones. Email, web, voicemail, texting, IM'ing, Twittering... While most of us think this is a great way to "stay connected" I believe sometimes it actually does more to disconnect us.
How many times do you check email on your cell? I'm guilty of doing it incessantly. Lots of my friends and colleagues are obsessed with constant checking no matter whether they're at a ballgame, backyard BBQ, business meeting, golf course or driving down the highway at 70 m.p.h. OK, me too.
A few months ago I had a somewhat life altering experience. My Treo 650 had finally fritzed out for the last time. What I really wanted was the iPhone 3G but it was still just a rumor. So what to do? Well, I bought a crappy $15 (after rebates and incentives) phone to tide me over. It did nothing but answer and dial calls. Even storing phone numbers was a pain so cross that off the list. If you want to dial a call you better remember it or read the number off a scrap of paper. Answering calls was always exciting because it didn't announce who the call was from...surprise!
It took a few days of de-tox to get used to this new experience. Yes, racing down the freeway with an hour to kill and no phone numbers at hand to call to pass the time was tough. Finding myself waiting at lights or standing in lines or having the immense pain of having seconds or even...gasp...minutes to pass with nothing going on yet having no phone to check were sheer torture. Wondering what magical email was waiting in my inbox to fulfill my life when I saw it was like poking needles in my eyes.
Then something weird happened. I started connecting to other things. I noticed what was around me when I drove. The hills and horses and beauty of highway 280. People around me suddenly caught my attention. Hmm, interesting person, wonder what their story is. Thoughts from the day...from my family...from work...from whatever had a little more time in the brain to be noodled on. I know this is what happens when people lose their sight or their hearing, other senses pick up. Well, my 6th sense - cell - was dulled and my other senses sharpened.
So maybe, just for a few hours, go retro with your life. Put your cellphone away. Notice what's around you. Experience the people you see. Connect with the rest of the world.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Media Doom and Gloom – ENOUGH ALREADY!
I'm convinced the news media gets kickbacks from Roche Laboratories. They are obviously conspiring to drive us to our nearest psychiatrist for prescriptions of Valium. News headlines scream "housing prices plummet", "one in five mortgages underwater", "stocks collapse" and, phew, so as not to break the momentum "jobless claims at a 16 year high." These aren't just news stories but NEWS STORIES!
OK, I know they're true. But who's excited to pump 50 cents into the local newspaper rack to read the doom and gloom searing them from the front page? My paperboy is likely to have one less low tipper on his route. Why should I keep my subscription when I peel off the front section of the paper every morning and throw it into the recycling bin before reading it? The only section I can really stomach these days is sports. (OK, I can't go to the bathroom without it.)
We all know things are bad and going to get worse. We get it. But how does it help to be inundated every day with it? Is there something I'm supposed to do because the $700 billion federal bailout hasn't loosened the credit markets? Sorry, economics was not my favorite subject in college so I'll just sit this brainstorming session out.
How about toning up some shreds of optimism? Just give it a try? Tiny bit, little stuff, maybe? No, we can't bury our heads in the sand. Yes, the news must be reported. Yes, those of us that don't like it can choose to turn it off. But please, a little less screaming of the bad and a little more of the good?
It is amazing what a positive attitude can do. It lifts us all up and makes us better able to tackle the challenges we face. How about we test that belief?
OK, I know they're true. But who's excited to pump 50 cents into the local newspaper rack to read the doom and gloom searing them from the front page? My paperboy is likely to have one less low tipper on his route. Why should I keep my subscription when I peel off the front section of the paper every morning and throw it into the recycling bin before reading it? The only section I can really stomach these days is sports. (OK, I can't go to the bathroom without it.)
We all know things are bad and going to get worse. We get it. But how does it help to be inundated every day with it? Is there something I'm supposed to do because the $700 billion federal bailout hasn't loosened the credit markets? Sorry, economics was not my favorite subject in college so I'll just sit this brainstorming session out.
How about toning up some shreds of optimism? Just give it a try? Tiny bit, little stuff, maybe? No, we can't bury our heads in the sand. Yes, the news must be reported. Yes, those of us that don't like it can choose to turn it off. But please, a little less screaming of the bad and a little more of the good?
It is amazing what a positive attitude can do. It lifts us all up and makes us better able to tackle the challenges we face. How about we test that belief?
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