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Monday, May 12, 2014

Put the phone down.

This past weekend the family made our way down to NC for the annual supporting of my sister's theater program.

This years musical was Footloose. And as always the show was amazing, the talent unbelievable and it has been wonderful to see my sister grow as a director.

But there was something that I noticed. You see I sat there in the middle of the theater trying to pay attention to the lead actor when halfway through his performance the young girl in front of me whipped out her cell phone and began flipping. Through Facebook, twiiter. Texting. Soon her friends followed her and before I knew it not only was I staring at the stage, but I was also staring at the glow of the latest Iphone and trying to ignore the whispers and giggles that came from the row in front of  me.

I know we are all guilty of it. Checking on emails, and occasionally glancing at them when we know we shouldn't. But being on it throughout a high school performance? A play? Really. Is it that important that we need to be connected to everything at all times. Apparently it was.

Apparently it is.

This led me thinking about my own habits.  I will not lie and say I haven't done this from time to time, because I too have. I even caught myself doing it in the middle of that very same show, during intermission. I told myself it was OK because well, it was intermission and I was just checking the score of the hockey games. After which I put it down and did not glance at it again. But I definitely gave myself a little talking to.

We live in a world where it has become OK to do this, during dinners, dates and in the middle of class lectures. We talk to friends through texting now because it is easier to get a hold of them that way, instant gratification in the palm of your hands. And we wonder why we are losing touch with human interaction. Have we forgotten the basic manners our parents parents taught them. Should I get used to this whole well its perfectly normal to do this? Everyone else is doing it?

Or should I start my own trend and stop the urge to look.
Even if it is just for an hour.

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