The other day, a bunch of us gathered for a family dinner. The meal was fantastic and the conversation was pleasant. It had the makings of a fun evening.
But then, without anyone really noticing, the evening became a little less fun. Why? Because we all, one by one, pulled our phones out of our pockets and started paying more attention to them than to the people we had been talking with. Slowly, but surely, the room switched from lively conversation to a bunch of people sitting around staring at rectangles.
We were all still in the same room, but we might as well have been miles apart from each other.
And this wasn’t an isolated incident. Not by a long shot.
You’ll see parents hanging out at the park to “watch” their kids play. But they’ll be staring so intently at their rectangles that they wouldn’t be able to tell you if their child was on the swings, slides, or monkey bars.
You’ll see people pushing shopping carts through the grocery store. But they’ll be staring so intently at their rectangles that they won’t see that pyramid of canned peaches until they’ve crashed into it and cans are rolling everywhere.
You’ll see parents sitting near the McDonald’s PlayPlace, staring at their rectangles until they hear the call from above saying, “Mom! Mom! Look, I’m way up here!”
And, of course, you’ll see some idiot driving down the freeway while staring at their rectangle, swerving in such a way that they apparently believe the painted lines separating the lanes are merely suggestions.
So, how do we keep our rectangles from taking over our lives? The answer is simple: Don’t stare at them so much! Sounds easy, right?
But it’s not always easy, is it? Sometimes you feel like you just NEED to know the name of that actor who played the brother on “Everybody Loves Raymond,” or what the mascot of Jordan High School is, or who the starting quarterback was the first time the Minnesota Vikings lost the Super Bowl. But really, how important is any of that stuff? Sometimes it’s OK to not know every little thing.
And when it’s time to eat (at the dinner table or in the booth by the PlayPlace) you can try this little trick: Hold your utensil or your food with one hand, and hold a napkin in the other hand. If you’re already using both hands, you won’t have a hand left to hold your rectangle!
And, it should go without saying, (but I’m going to say it anyway) if you are driving, keep your eyes on the road and NOT on your rectangle! It’s just NEVER that important.
