Its official: People love their phones

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The other day, I kept my cell phone on charge like I normally do in the morning and forgot to unplug it and put it in my bag in that mad rush to get out of the house for office. 

I didn’t realize that I had left my phone back at home until I wanted to make an important call and was searching high and low for it in the office. Then at the back of my mind I constantly thought about it as if it was something I couldn't live without (it seems like that though). I felt so hollow. 

It always amazes me how this little device has completely taken over our life. You’re in a café to catch up with an old friend over coffee but instead of talking both of you are hunched over the phone. 
You have a family dinner and your phone is in your hands. Either you’re texting, checking emails or looking up for updates or notifications. It’s like your whole life depends on this device. 

You’re with a person and in the meantime you’re catching up with someone else at some other place. This human mind. I tell you. It’s a monkey mind, sprawled all over the place. 

I was with a friend last night whom we hadn’t seen each other for quite some time. There was so much to talk about us. In between conversations, she was constantly fiddling with her phone, God knows what she was doing. I don’t blame her. I rather felt amused and remarked at her “wow, you’re quite active on social network.” 

I’m out for a dinner with friends. The food is served and you know what I do, after some quick setting of the table, I take out the device and take picture, not once but multiple times from different angles. 

With a quick smile, I say ‘It’s for the instagram.”

In the mean time the food turns cold. It’s like that spiritual aunt saying the grace for the food where she starts praying for the violence in Gaza and the food turning cold. 

Sometimes, I feel that we need to detox from this device called cell phone. 
Or cell phone etiquettes. I seriously need it.

It could be as simple as like switching off phones during meal time or no cell phones after you get into bed. So that you would be able to engage in meaningful eating and conversation. You would be able to appreciate your friend and compliment her/him in real life instead of liking their pictures and commenting on facebook, instagram and twitter. Smile at the stranger instead of hunching over the phone and sometimes tripping over.   
 

Having said these, there’s so much good things about this device which I chose to ignore here and kept it for another time.

Is your life completely taken over by your cell phone? If yes, I’d like to hear how.

Happy Thursday!