Put it DOWN!

I woke up this morning determined to try something new. Namely, not look at my phone until after breakfast. I know it's not good for me to have a screen be the last thing I see before going to bed and the first thing I see after I wake up. So this morning I made sure I had breakfast and spent some time with God (as well as moving my car to avoid a street sweeping ticket) before I as much as glanced at my cellular device. And guess what?

It was HARD! The desire to pull out my phone was intense. I was able to resist, but at least ten times I caught my hand reaching for my pocket to pull out my phone. The time that most resonated was when I walked down the stairs, I tried to pull it out. As if my inner psyche said, "You may as well multitask. You have four seconds as you walk down the stairs to see how popular you are this morning on Facebook, Gmail, and texting." Blegh! This mindset is disgusting to me. How did I become so attached to a simple piece of technology? More importantly, how do I fight the effects?

At dinner last night, I had a conversation about something that happens to me every day in the break room at work. This probably happens to you too. How many times a day do you find yourself in a completely silent room, save maybe the sounds of the television. Everyone in this room is either staring at their phones or at the television screen.

Now let's travel back in time with me to the 1950's. Grab a milkshake and see a drive-in movie really fast. OK, now let's get to the point. Back in this time, there was something called the art of conversation. Starting to talk to a stranger was not uncomfortable or weird, it was what you did. If you entered a room with one other person who you did not know, it wouldn't be nearly as difficult to sit down with them as it is now.

Flash back to the present day. I often sit down with strangers, because I'm outgoing and weird like that. I get one of two reactions:
- Pleasant surprise. They're happy that someone wants to talk to them, since they were only sitting alone because they didn't know anyone. (Apparently not everyone is outgoing to a fault like I am.)
- Awkward silence. These people either don't want to talk to anyone or aren't able to maintain conversation.

Why has staring at our phones almost entirely replaced conversation. Sure, check your texts really quick. I'm not opposed to using phones. But I plan to cut back on the checking Facebook seventeen times during my half hour lunch break. I'd rather start a conversation. Everyone has a story. That person sitting across the room could become your new best friend, or your future lover! You'll never know unless you start the conversation. And in today's culture, they're not going to start that conversation; that's up to you! I'm starting a new life policy: If I'm out and about with people, the phone is a tool, not a toy. Quickly responding to messages: fine. Constant staring at the screen, not OK! And if you get one thing out of this, let this be it:

Text messages can wait.
Facebook notifications can wait.
Snapchats can wait.
Your Instagram won't self-destruct without constant viewing and uploads.
0% of your happiness should come from things you see on your phone and 100% from things that happen in real life.

Let me repeat that last one. You say you enjoy spending time with your friends, then proceed to spend that time on your phone. Live, laugh, love, and put away your cell phone!