This is a pretty dark title for a blog post. Most of the
time when poison is said, we think of causing bodily harm, or even death, to a
living creature. Humans and their drugs or animals and substances they
accidentally consumed are the general theme behind the term poison. I promise that this post will have a good
message and meaning at the end.
Dad and I like to go out to eat and since living in Burleson
we have done a lot of that, it seems. The convenience of it is almost too much.
Almost. Living in Pottsboro we were 20 minutes from going to eat at any
restaurant we liked to frequent. One of the pluses to being in suburbia is the
convenience. On the exact same hand, the bad part of living in suburbia is the
convenience.
While dad and I were having dinner the other night, there
were lots of large families and groups of people eating for the holidays. This
is a great time of year to see many people being happy and enjoying time with
family and loved ones. The elephant (or elephants) in the room for all tables
were cell phones. Not only did some have them out the entire time, a lot also
had headphones or earbuds in the entire time. I have no idea what the people
were listening to or watching. I do know that they had no vocal interaction
with others at the table. The most disturbing thing for me was not seeing the
kids, it was all the adults. Many adults on their phones and some with their
headphones on as well.
One of my goals this year was to make it a point to put my
phone down more, especially at dinners and gatherings. I have been successful
with that goal; I still have work to do and plan on doing better in the new
year. It is sad that I had to set that as a goal for myself. Although, it is a
goal that many should set and work to achieve. The difference it will make in
your life is noticeable on many different levels.
Another disturbing factor is the number of people on their
phones while driving. The phenomenon is not limited to young people. Most of
the people I see on their phones are older mature ‘adults’. Tons of women with
kids in the car. I especially like the ones that are driving and holding their
phones like a hotdog they are about to bite of. Then the ones that are driving
cars less than 2-years-old and you know there is handsfree in the vehicle, yet
they choose to hold their hotdog while talking and driving. That is a great
choice.
The next phenomenon is giving phones and tablets to keep
children occupied. 3 and 4-year-old children can work and bring up what they
want to watch and do more on electronic devices than many adults. The studies
coming out on the effects these devices have on children are disturbing.
Everything from vision all the way to intellectual development. We will not
know the true effects for years to come, unfortunately. These kids need to be
outside playing in the dirt with their cars, trucks or barbies. They don’t need
to be given an electronic device to occupy their time or keep them quiet. If a
child is being disruptive on purpose, they need to be disciplined. Ther
e are many
other avenues to keep kids occupied. Give them crayons and a piece of paper,
let them order for themselves, stop doing it for them and let them be kids.
Cell phones have been around for decades. It has only been
in the last couple of decades that they have become so complex that it takes
our undivided attention. The poison you
see is not the phones. It’s the content we get from the phones. It’s the social
media, news, games and anything you use your phone for that can be a
distraction. The poison is the addiction
for immediate updates, tweets or likes on our posts. There are adults and
children that can name more Kardashians than they can supreme court justices.
There are millions of adults and children that can tell you who won the last
season of The Voice, but these same people cannot tell you the names of our
founding fathers. The problem is not the fact that we have a powerful device at
the touch of our fingers. The problem is people are chasing what’s in the
phones. As humans , we allow the poison to control our minds, hearts, everyday
lives, and let it affect our actions. Making a change is hard, but it will be
the most rewarding thing you can do for you and your family and y’all’s
collective future.
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