It’s definitely no secret that I struggle with how everyone seems to becoming incredibly preoccupied with his or her cell phones. Besides the fact that they are being utilized so frequently that it’s causing people to detach from human interaction, I see a larger issue beginning to emerge. As the technology of mobile phones has evolved over time, so has the volume of their ringers. While that may not create any disruptions when they go off in someone’s private spaces such as a car or at home, I’m noticing how many they are creating in plenty of other situations.
Have you ever been at the theater when someone else’s phone suddenly starts to loudly ring? Or has that ever happened to you at some type of important meeting you were attending? Or maybe it’s happened to you at an intimate restaurant you were dining at? In each of those cases, can you honestly say it didn’t disrupt your experience on some level? I have witnessed all three of these situations and many others as well. The latest of which totally baffled me when it happened during a funeral service a few days ago. I really thought that people would never bring their cell phones into a funeral service, let alone leave them on. But sure enough, over the course of its one-hour duration, I counted at least five separate ones that rang quite loudly. Funerals are generally meant to be a time to grieve. But listening to one of the latest Top 40 songs emit from a phone as it rang made that pretty hard to do. Instead of being able to stay in my heart and let my sadness out, I found myself looking around the room trying to find the source of each phone when it rang.
All of this has got me wondering why people are so afraid they’re going to miss out on something if they don’t carry it everywhere and leave it on the entire time. Ironically, what they don’t realize is that they truly are missing out on something, but it has nothing to do with their mobile phone. It has to do with whatever is right in front of them that their phone is taking them away from.
Whether I’m in a movie theater, a meeting, a restaurant, a funeral, or any other venue where other people are around me in intimate spaces, I always make sure my phone is set to silent, turned off, or left in my car. First of all, I don’t want to ruin anyone else’s experience because of my loud Knight Rider ringtone. Second, there was once a time when I’d go an entire day without a phone call because the only one I had was at home. So why are a few hours of silencing it or shutting it off that big of a deal? Lastly, I’m also trying to not take away from my own experiences as I engage in whatever they are. For any of the times where I’ve left my ringer on in any public situation, it’s always been due to my own selfishness and self-centeredness, and the fact that I thought I was going to miss out on something. Thankfully, I’m doing a lot better with this today.
So hopefully the next time you’re at the theater, a meeting, a restaurant, a funeral or some other type of public venue, you’ll make sure that you too will silence your cell phone like I know I will be doing. That way we won’t be creating any disruptions for ourselves, nor will we be creating them for anyone else as well.
Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson
My thoughts EXACTLY!!!! However, I am guilty of being too preoccupied with my cell phone.