Today I forgot my cell phone at home. Something I know we've all done and a common response I hear to this is, 'It's so freeing." "It's so nice to be untethered." etc etc. Now this is true, when the activity you are currently engaged in supports such a freeing experience. A quick run to the store, a hike, a camping trip, a conference/retreat or perhaps somewhere where cell phones are frowned upon like the library, the movies or the bathroom.
This new found feeling of freedom and being unencumbered quickly turns into a feeling of naked unpreparedness when you find yourself in a position where you'd like to use the thing. It has numbers and contact information. It allows me to put myself in a place of privacy so I can hold phone conversations away from public areas. My feelings of being "tethered" turns into a missing life-line when I discover it's not there. Like an Emperor duped into thinking his fine new threads are the finest in the land, we waltz around "free and unencumbered" only to realize we are prancing around blind to the fact that we are in fact, walking around while everyone points and laughs, "Look at the guy without a cell phone on."
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
The Emperor's New Cell Phone
Posted by Aaron at Wednesday, April 23, 2008
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9 comments:
Well said!
Ben & I went to 2 different stores the other day- he dropped me off at one, and then was going to do what he needed and come pick me up.
I realized after he dropped me off that he forgot his cell at home, and now how were we going to coordinate all this?!?!?!
I felt utterly naked at trying to figure it all out.
I wondered how in the world my parents could have ever lived so savagely as to not have these handy little communication devices.
Early on my parents used smoke signals ... this was later replaced with carrier pigeons.
Mom, Dad ... any thoughts on how you conducted life pre-cell phone?
Wow. I'm not sure I can remember that far back! ;) Well, we had to actually talk a lot and make plans before hand. If there was a glitch, we went to plan B, if there was one! We didn't have the capability for constant communication like we do now. There was actually separation for 9-10 hours a day, which made our time together so special. Sometimes we needed to stop and think "now what would he/she want, or do, or think?" We had to know each other. If we really needed to get ahold of each other, there was always the pay phone (a handy device on every other corner which you could - once upon a time - drop a dime into and make a local phone call for as long as you needed to talk, just for a dime! Assuming the other person was home! It was an enclosed cubicle, usually, for privacy or protection from the elements. Sometimes, like at a bowling alley, it wasn't a booth - but rather just open.) And we survived! And because of it, I think our generation appreciates the cell phones more than your generation. Y'all take them very for granted! And just as an aside here, dad recently heard a young gal who's boyfriend was in the service complain that she hadn't heard from him for several days. But back "in the day", when there was no satellite communication, no cell towers, etc., people were out of touch with each other for sometimes months at a time. Every letter was cherished, although probably completely outdated by the time it was received. So - a word of exhortation to those of you in the younger generation: appreciate those little things! And all the other conveniences you are privileged to have at your disposal. And next time you grab your cell phone, stop and think what it would be like if you didn't have that privilege! Okay. Sermon over, and Aaron, you may be disheartened to learn that I did indeed have to pick up that little thing and call dad to refresh my memory and get his perspective on this! Aaarrrggghhhh.
I think "our generation" has a quasi understanding of what life "pre-cell" was like. I'm 33 and I've only had a cell phone for 10 years. That means that 70% of my life I operated without a cell phone. What really boggles my mind is what you as parents allows us as kids to do without cell phones.
Heading out on a nice summer day with our only instructions being "be back before dark". You had virtually little to no idea what we were up to, where we were or how to get a hold of us.
I was just thinking that 'our generation' is kind of between the cell technology...like Aaron said. As I was writing out Su's diagnosis story the other day I started thinking about the fact we didn't have cell phones then and some of the details might have been different if we had (not important details though.) Wonder what our kids will someday be wondering how we lived without! :)
Aaron - Remember that we lived in a small town, it was 20+ years ago, and maybe we were a bit lenient (naive?). But we had good kids that didn't raise a signal on our radar. So either you were good or smart. Maybe both. ;) If and when there was a blip on our radar, we acted: The only one I think of off the top of my head is Keith. Oh, and Matt. Matt was actually the scariest radar-blip for either of us in the whole kid-raising thing.
One more thing - there have been lots of wonderful, thought-provoking and funny things said on this blog. I find it interesting that the posting that has garnered the most comments is the one about cell phones. That alone says alot.
Ok so I have to get in on the action here. What I always think about with cell phones is this...how in the world did my parents let me drive all the way from Fresno to Redding by myself. Or all the way from Redding to Washington with Aaron, a guy they barely knew. When Taylor didn't even start kindergarten without her cell phone.
I am very grateful that we have cell phones. I am also grateful they have evolved to not be a huge phone in a bag...and are small and come in fun colors and play fun music...to quote my Nana, "Remember when our phones used to ring and not play music?"
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