#315 Why-erd?

I’m often teased about my reluctance to own a cellphone. It’s a bizarre stance to many I’m sure, so common have cellphones become, and so deeply integrated into our society. But at heart it’s about how the cellphone, in its attempt to make us more connected, has made us less so. And by that I mean connected to the world at large—to reality. I really like getting in my car and being out of reach. The times I need to be reachable are very small compared to the times I need to be unconnected. Unconnected to other people and dealing one on one with my world. Cellphones bring modern society wherever you take them. Going into the woods with the chance of getting lost is one reality. Going into the woods with a cellphone and GPS is another level of reality altogether. Going to the grocery store with a list and a promise to get a specific brand of ice cream for your wife is one level of reality and responsibility. Going to the store without a clue AND a cellphone is another. Being able to consult with someone about every decision at the drop of an anytime minute completely and totally robs you of the development of a little thing called self-reliance. Self-reliance only comes from making your own mistakes. Self-reliance only comes when you’ve been through the school of hard knocks. If you could always ask mommy’s advice and input on every little thing and get her help wherever and whenever, you’d never get potty trained on the big wide toilet we call the real world. You wouldn’t learn how to cope. Case in point: The other day a friend of mine went to a graduation. His summary: “Graduations sure are long.” “Got that right,” I replied, “That’s one good thing about the WASL. It ought to shorten the length of graduation ceremonies. Flunking a few people ought to cut it down enough so they can hold em in gyms again.” “Yeah,” he said “and boring too. It was really cool though,(and here I embellish) to just look around at all the people and all the looks on their faces and how they reacted to the various speeches and the looks they’d get when their kid got up.” “Cool,” I said, “I know what you mean, I love people watching.” “Yeah my niece was amazing though. The whole graduation she sat next to me text-messaging someone with her cellphone and the minute the ceremony was over she called whoever it was up and started talking.” Here’s the point. We’ve all been to places where we’re bored. There are some that say, hey I’m bored I ought to be able to call my friend, even textually, and not have to sit here and endure this boredom. Well then, take the darn thing to church, or a funeral, or better yet, next time you’re performing somewhere have everyone in the audience totally ignore you because they’re texting their friends. God forbid anyone anywhere should actually have to cope with the reality of the moment. Why, that’s too much like...living.
America, ya gotta love it.