I walked into the Verizon store and this young man immediately greets me. Extending his hand and sporting a big smile, I couldn’t help but smile back. I’m sure as I entered, he caught sight of me and had me all figured out by the time I reached the sign-in desk. Old guy. Upsell! Upsell! Upsell! Big commission!
“I only want a simple phone so I can make a call and receive a call. That’s it. Nothing else. No bells. No Crushy games, no wires, no music.” I was still smiling, but he wasn’t.
Everyone has a theory about cell phones. It seems to me, the younger you are, the more important the phone becomes to you. I’m not going to turn this into a rant about The Death of Conversational Skills. How about adding the Death of Exercise to the list? And not just the physical exercise, I am talking about exercising the brain. Thinking for one’s self. Using your God-given memory. Google it. Yeah, you get an instant answer, but expend no brain actvity. What happens when a person who has relied on the instantaneous feed of the internet to provide answers is pressed to provide original thought on a subject?
Yesterday over coffee, Karen and I were talking about how much more expedited the schooling process has become in our lifetime. I’m watching a story about a kindergarten student working on a computer. A kindergarten student. In my experience, we had paste and cut-out shapes of construction paper. We ate the paste. If they didn’t want us to eat it, they should not have made it taste good. We used our hands to paint with (also on construction paper). Do they even get to take naps anymore on those heavy plastic floormats that always cracked? Next thing you’ll be telling me they are using the old color-coded SRA reading tools! I know, I know, cell phones. KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS HAVE CELL PHONES. This allows for the incessant flow of products, starting the “branding” process for the next generation. Phones can do everything and there really is a convenience factor, but like anything, it can be misused. I have a tendency, or I used to, to lose my phone. I think I had to replace it four times. I would leave it anywhere. Shopping basket, in my gym locker. Didn’t matter. I was very careless with it because it just wasn’t that important to me. So I am at work and I tell my co-worker, all of 22 years of age, that I left my phone at home. The look of sheer terror/incredulity in her eyes.
“Well you are going home to get it of course.”
“Nope. Don’t need it.” She absolutely could not fathom that.
Stay well.
Mark's Playhouse 