Do you ever wonder what it would be like to go out and not take one glance at your phone?
I often find myself saying to my friends... “Well, all of my friends are here so I don’t need to use my phone.” If you are out with your friends, why make them feel alone by neglecting them and make them feel like you rather be elsewhere?
I’m not against phones for good, or even at all. I just think it would be a good idea to start realizing the world around us, to enjoy it, and to never miss a second.
Phones are incredibly dangerous, and it is very scary to think that some of us are so wrapped up in cell phones that we cannot live without our phones. Some even go crazy if their phone dies and they don't have a charger with them.
…. Speaking of, I have seen many people with those portable chargers as well.
It makes me upset, I wish people did not feel the need to constantly be up-to-date with all the happenings on Snapchat, or what the drama is on Facebook.
There is a time and a place for using the cell phone.
I continuously find myself coming out of the zone and realizing… I should put my phone down.
It’s scary. You know how many times I have driven (usually this happens on the HIGHWAY), and see a terrible driver, weaving through lanes, going 40 MPH in the high-speed lane, and clearly not caring about where the end up on the road? I pull up and see that they are most of the time chatting on their cell phone.
I was in traffic (again, HIGHWAY), and I had come to a stop. I see somebody behind me rolling up and off onto the grass beside me. What do you think happened here? A careless driver not paying attention, having to come to a halt and swerve off the highway to avoid crashing into me. Scary. That is pretty scarring. You know how often I check my rearview to make sure everyone around me is paying attention, stopping when I stop, etc...
It is an unsettling feeling.
The National Safety Council reports that cell phone use while driving leads to 1.6 million crashes each year. On the same website is this unbelievable fact, “Texting while driving is 6x more likely to cause an accident than driving drunk.”
It is so easy to cave into the urge of checking texts, feeling the vibration and wondering what notification has made its way to your cell. Please, realize the damage it is causing. Besides dangers to driving safety, it is pulling people away from real conversations and communication between family, friends, etc.
Working as a server you sometimes overhear conversations, you see many interactions occur and so on. A lot of what I see lately is teenagers, young adults or even children on their iPads/ electronic system with maybe their parents, grandparents, friends or significant other. And usually, at least one of the members of the party is on their phone, blatantly ignoring conversation from the other person. It is especially sad if you can see this is somebody out with their parent or grandparent, leaving them to enjoy their meal by themselves.
It puts into perspective how much time we have around the ones we love. Time is sensitive, it is important to spend it with everyone who means something to you as much as you can.
I’m not trying to be a hypocrite here; I know I go on my phone sometimes when I shouldn’t (cough, work, cough). But, I’m learning. I am realizing how bad and how obsessive cell phones can be. For me, I get a slight case of FOMO and realize “Where are my friends tonight?” “Was I invited?” “I wasn’t invited, why?!”
When the urge to get on your phone and text your friends while working comes along, resist it. What I have been doing is keeping my phone locked in my car, or my jacket. It is not worth getting written-up or even fired for doing. It is an act that is unprofessional and many employers frown upon it.
I recently went to an interview, where in the waiting area was somebody on their phone, also waiting to be interviewed. That clearly sends the wrong message out of a non-caring attitude, and the employer can use this against you.
Always, be aware of your surroundings, realize who you are with and could be hurting, and please always be responsible when using your cell phone.
