Here’s a little test to determine who you are closest to, who your go-to person, your best friend really is:

  • Who do you go to throughout the day with all your little questions?
  • In your downtime, who do you play with?
  • Who helps you manage your calendar, remind you of your appointments?
  • Who do you share your music with?
  • Who knows all the numbers and addresses of your friends and family?
  • Who coaches you toward your destination?
  • Who helps you broadcast your every thought and action on social media?
  • Who acts as a middle-man between you and the friends you “talk” to?

Most likely, the answer to all these questions is your phone. We rely on and relate to our phone more than any other human being. This inanimate object owns our full attention, often in the presence of real people.

We should seriously consider if we are replacing our humanity, human interaction, with a device without a conscious, soul, or heart. Is our go-to person not a person at all?

None of us want to go backwards. We love the convenience and versatility we hold in our hands. But maybe, even for a brief moment, we might want to look up and lean into the people around us. Make a point each day throughout the day to look away from the phone and into the eyes of another human being. What will happen to us if we do not?

©2014, Mary K. Doyle