Bad Phone Habits!

I own one, a smart phone! It can do almost everything, but still not everything. It cannot wash my cloths, cook my food or even hug my friends and loved ones. It cannot replace the real ‘catching up’ . That catching up where you look at someone and listened to their soul not their words. That connection that needs no electricity to power it up. That catching up that gives healing or encouragement to a broken heart. No smart phone can sense human feelings, that moment when you tell someone ‘You don’t have to say a thing… Just give me a hug’…

Have you ever visited someone to give that ‘1990’ company and ‘catch up’ only to realize that your host was absent all the time you offered?  They were trapped in a virtual space somewhere else with other virtual people. That they actually seem more uninterested with your vibe that their gadget? Yes am sure you must have! I have too. These fools are all over! Welcome to the senseless error of ‘My smart phone’. It is a bad habit that gets every nerve out of me. I have learnt to appreciate real humans who care about me …who deserve a listening hear or a shoulder to cry on. I realize that I need to respect the time given to me by others and understand how valuable it is. They could have chosen to do something else but they chose to be with me at that particular time.

Now, recently I went for a catch-up evening with a friend at a nice restaurant, the joint was beautiful, the lights were just right and the drinks were at the right temperature. The atmosphere was great. I was well dressed and really felt good about myself. You know that wet weather where your boots makes you look like a ‘5.7 model.’… Yes that was me that evening.. . Disclaimer: the reality is that I am barely 5.1 …so do not be fooled. 

Now back to my date… Did I mention the music was just awesome? Wow! that’s a place I want to pick all my girlfriends and dump them there for its awesomeness. There was a problem though… my host was all over this huge gadget… Chatting …with so many chat alerts popping in continuously...Out of the two hours I was imprisoned there, I think I may have had only 30 minutes chat with my host. Now, now, now... I tried my best to stay calm {Never mind I was boiling from within} I am never this nice at times. , I put my gadget ( Just call it Samsung S4) on mute and placed it on the table, upside down so that this ‘fool’ (I meant to say my friend) would think it’s appropriate to just behave. Shock on me. This nigga did not think there was anything out of the norm. And so there I was, testing my patience to the fullness of time. That was the most boring date I have ever had. I had a choice to walk out but Imagine Dinah stayed 😁… yes she did. I learned a few lessons from the situation though; which was the most important thing I got in my 2 hours stay. 

For me a catch up is like those ones I have at Kaldis or Java until we are professionally chased away by waiters that ... "guys we need to close shop." That’s true friendship and genuineness. 

Do not be fooled however expensive your ‘Smart phone’ is, it does not and will never use blood.  So please keep in real touch with your friends and family. Calling is very good. but visit your friends and family often.... And when you visit them, please be damn there, take time to switch off from technology and feel the real sense of humanity. Even before technology was, you were, so do not fool us that your gadget is so important that you will not breathe if it’s switched off for a period. You can replace a smart phone but you cannot replace a family member or a friend once they are nowhere close. Do not miss out on life while checking your smart phone. #My2cent#

“I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots.” Einstein

By Dinah Muthuka