Mobiles

THE PARADOX OF OUR AGE.

We have bigger houses but smaller families:

More conveniences, but less time:

We have more degrees, but less sense:

More knowledge, but less judgment:

More experts, but more problems:

More medicines, but less healthiness:

We’ve been all the way to the moon and back

But have trouble crossing the street to meet

The new neighbour:

We build new computers to hold more information,

To produce more copies than ever,

But have less communication:

We have become long on quantity,

But short on quality:

These are times of fast food but slow digestion:

Tall man but short character:

Steep profits but shallow relationships:

It is a time when there is much in the window,

But nothing in the room. – The Dalai Lama.

I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots. – Albert Einstein.

In an e-mail from a friend she says that that day has arrived. You may or may not have seen it but, presuming you haven’t, it consists of a number of photographs in each of which everyone is glued to their phone. A day at the beach, cheering on your team, having dinner out with your friends, an intimate date, a visit to the museum, enjoying the sights. In every photo it’s eyes down and everyone’s concentration is entirely on the phone. It would seem the world and each other no longer exists. It reminds me of an American visitor who, on being taken to view the ancient ruins at Phaestos, spent the entre journey glued to his satnav (or whatever it was) knowing exactly where he was but missing all he passed through. Also one evening at dinner I watched a holiday family at a nearby table. It was quite a large jolly family all of whom seemed to be really enjoying each other’s company except for one boy who was glued to his phone, even to the point of virtually turning his back on the others who, in turn, tended to ignore him. I presume by the movement of his thumbs he was either texting or playing a game. Whatever, it was much more interesting than being sociable. I find that sad. The Greeks, who can be as Smartphone mad as anyone else, at least take time away from them to be sociable and do still talk to one another.

I hear a game has been invented when dining with friends in a restaurant. The phones are piled up in the centre of the table and whoever answers his or her phone first pays for the meal. Could it be true? If only.

Villages in India might not have toilets but everyone has a mobile phone. Do you really need to have a conversation while squatting in a field?