RSS Feed |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Return to sanity After being tortured in a check out line by a customer who never stopped talking on a cell phone while also talking to two store employees, paying for merchandise, and then returning to the line to break in front to buy one more thing, I have decided we need a short course on cell phone use. Apparently, good manners and cell phones don't naturally go hand in hand, so let's look at a few of the more critical areas. First, let's talk mechanics. It is not necessary to talk on a cell phone just because you have one. We don't shoot guns just because we have them. We don't vacuum constantly just because we have vacuum cleaners. A cell phone can sit quietly in the car by itself, can even be quite happy in a purse or a pocket with the ringer disabled. It is not an extension of ourselves, and life is not dependent on its presence. Shoot, a cell phone can even be turned off, yes, turned off and the world will still spin. I've seen it happen. People do all sorts of things without talking on a cell phone. They go to meetings, they buy groceries, they go to movies. They are the people who give dirty looks to those people who cannot seem to do anything without a cell phone activated and attached. The excuse I hear from most people who have serious cell phone dependencies is "someone might need to get in touch with me." In those cases, someone is defined as anyone who might accidentally call the cell phone number. I was once in a funeral when a cell phone went off. The woman who belonged to the cell phone hurriedly got up from the pew and went into the hall where everyone, the deceased included, could hear her whisper "I can't talk right now. I'm at a funeral." I really wanted to whisper back, "So why are you packing a cell phone?" And maybe that's the key to getting people to be a little more considerate with their cell phone use. Maybe if they think about it before they carry a cell phone in a meeting or a wedding or a funeral or even a grocery store, they might find that the answer to why they carry a cell phone is simply "someone might call me." Yes, and you can call them back. It's really pretty simple. Even I know how to do that. I challenge everyone to try this for a week. Go in stores and leave the cell phone in the car. Go to meetings and leave the cell phone in the car. Go to work and leave the cell phone in the car. Here's the tricky part. Since the cell phone is in the car, cut it off while you are driving or at least mute the ringer. Actually drive for an entire week without making or taking one phone call, unless it's an emergency, of course.
Pretend it's the old days, back when phones stayed at the house and the world was sane. Those were the days.
|
for larger version       |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
