Tech Junkies

Every morning I take the bus to work. I can't help but notice at the bus stop how everyone always has their heads down staring at their iphone screens. Well done, Apple! The iphone has turned into a natural extension of our palms. On the bus, people never look up. They are texting as they are crammed into the aisle. They are texting as they are waiting for the lights to change. They are texting as they are crossing the street. It makes me think at how, as technology is connecting us to people on the opposite end of the globe, it is making us less aware of our immediate surroundings. What happened to random conversations at the bus stop? Or, spontaneous conversations based on random observations as people wait around for their Starbuck drinks? Are we really so busy that we cannot stop texting nonstop? Or is it an avenue to avoid conversation and awkward moments beside strangers? No wonder it is getting harder to meet people.

It would be so nice if just for a day, we could cut down on our cell phone time to notice our surroundings and interact with people for a change. If we remember our manners and not text or talk on the phone as we are being served at a counter or continue chatting as the waiter arrives to take your order at the restaurant. Maybe we could find time and space to rest our brains for just a little and stop jamming irrelevant bits of information we don't really need to know so we can notice the little things in life. Maybe.