Ever notice how everyone you see seems to be wearing a smartwatch. One that allows you to track your steps, take a phone call, send a text, and I think clean the kitchen. The technology is so advanced, most of us would be astonished to know what the future upgrades will do. Another question is does anyone wear a regular watch? One that tells time, the date, maybe has another function or two?
I have always loved watches. Some dear friends gave me a nice Seiko watch for high school graduation and I wore it for years. Until you couldn’t even get the back off to change the battery. It told the time and the date. Classic look and design. I have had various other watches since that time. All worked and fulfilled their purpose - to tell me the time.
With the onset of technology, phones became our watch. It told us the time, date, and if anyone called. We were able to send a text and eventually emails from our phones. The watch came to be a side note in society. Many people wore a regular watch and still do. Some people don’t even have a smart phone and it’s 2021! Crazy, I know. I am not sure how they are able to function in regular society.
A few years ago, my dad gave me a new Fossil watch for Christmas. It was part of their smart watch series. It can count my steps; the hands move when I get a call or message. It does not flash a message or have a computer screen. I just know that certain people are set to certain locations on my watch. So even though it has smart watch technology. I still have to think and remember who is at position 3 or 4 when my watch vibrates.
The advancement of technology is a great thing for many people. We can see our progress in physical activities, check our email from anywhere, send a text from the pastures, or know what our resting heart rate is when we sleep. For the most part we don’t need all that information or technology. Generations survived for years, life expectancy increased, and people never had a device on their wrist that told them to get up and move.
What has been lost with a lot of this technology is our ability to think and rationalize. We spend hours on our phones when we need to spend hours outside. We spend hours on apps that do not enhance our everyday life when those hours can be put towards reading a book, or spending time with your kids or family and friends.
Watches in the past have been a fashion statement. People wearing a Rolex, Tag Heuer, or Cartier watch were symbols of status. I’ll take a classic old school watch anyway over the smartwatches. I would rather see a person lift their arm and twist their wrist to check the time, than reach and pull out their phone.
A watch is something to tell the time. Hands move around the dial and you know what time of day it is, maybe even the date. When you are in a social setting, it is rude to pull out your phone and constantly check it. Put it off to the side and forget about it. When you think you made it big and have a meal with someone of value or importance, do not waste your time checking your phone. Spend your time asking as many questions and carrying on an intelligent conversation as you can with that person.
None of us are exempt from this cycle of technology. If you still carry a flip phone, I applaud you. If you are constantly on your smart phones, start breaking that cycle. If you have a smart watch, ask yourself why? There are always going to be exceptions to the rule, however, put down the smart watch, and pick up a regular watch. Stop taking selfies with your kids, but instead teach them to tell time on a regular dial clock. I’d bet some of you have a hard time with that yourself.
If your excuse to have a smart watch is to help you get healthier, you are missing the point of changing your mindset to better yourself. Smart watches are crutches and aids we do not need. We honestly do not need smartphones, as handy as they are in life. Since the technology is here, let’s use it smartly. Do not let the technology rule your life. I love my semi-smart watch and all my regular watches. They look good and tell me the time. Which is the exact point of a watch.
“Time is the longest distance between two places.” - Tennessee Williams
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