Let Me Check My Phone

I don't know why it's so hard for people to connect in this day and age. Theoretically, we are more connected today than we have ever been. But, in reality, the world doesn't know how to interact anymore. First of all, there are always distractions. Music, TV, phones, tablets, laptops. Second, we don't know how to survive without our technology. If we had a power outage for more than a day, even more than a few hours, so many of us would be completely lost. I am ashamed to say that I would be too. Sadly, I am as sucked into technology as the rest of us, whether I intend to be or not. It's a habit, it's a dependency, it's a first thought, and a fiftieth thought, and a last thought. Let me check my phone. We need it for this, we need it for that. It's our camera, it's our calendar, it's our entertainment, it's our tool. Anyhow, third, it is simply difficult for people to interact in person. I'm no exception, I'm not trying to say that I'm better than anyone else, I'm trying to express my world view. Today, I was at a restaurant with my family. I was distracted by the TV, the people around me, the music, the decorations. Amidst those distractions though, I noted a young couple (I presume that they were together, at least). So far as I could see from my wandering eyes, the woman was on her phone, the couple ate, and they left. I saw no meaningful interactions, just a convenient way to do something at the same time in the same place. It hurts me to see that people have strayed so far from being able to have conversations, to agree and disagree, to put away their phones and their work life and just to appreciate the person in front of them. I know I take people for granted, I think it's safe to say that we all do. Someday I'm going to turn around and that person that has always been there for me, that person who I love and care about is going to be gone. It doesn't matter what the reason is, it just matters what I did with the time I spent with them. Am I going to be able to look back without regret and see that I cherished our time together or that I should have put my phone down? I should have listened to them, I should have seen their pain, should have supported them, should have been there for them? This is my plea to anyone who reads this, try, just try, to set technology aside and really make time for people. It doesn't matter if it's five minutes a day or 5 hours a day, try to set aside time without your phone or laptop. Make it "me time" or "couple time" or "time to actually be productive" make time without distractions. We're not robots yet, there's still hope for human interactions and relations. Make something tangible and valuable for yourself.