Tags
Communication, India, Iphone, philosophy, Phone, psychology, Technology
I haven’t wrote a blog post for a while however I got the inspiration to write one a few days ago. Since the the availability of smart phones in recent years, it seems that they have become an integrated part of our lives. Many people now days seem to have a mobile phone or a smart phone of some kind. At times we may wonder how we ever lived without a smart phone?
Since being in India, I have become aware while traveling on public transport such as buses and trains here, that people seem to have a less of a preoccupation with smart phones as opposed to us in the west. The people here seem to come across as being more engaged and more communicative with each other on buses and trains. They talk to each other more openly and there is a sense of community or spirit on these transport systems which I haven’t experienced in the west.
In this day and age, it is always good to feel connected and have the opportunity to communicate with other people when we want to. However at times it can feel that our smartphone is ruling our lives.
If you are engaging or have done any of the following, there is a high probability that your smart phone could be your master;
* Constantly checking your iphone or other smart phone device for emails, Whatsapps, Viber messages, Facebook news feed etc.
* Looking at your phone first thing in the morning or last thing at night.
* Feeling naked or that something is missing if you left your phone at home one day by mistake.
* Spending hours in a coffee shop or some other establishment that has wifi and losing complete track of time and of reality.
* Having a panic attack if your phone has 20% battery or less and it is now late afternoon.
* If you have been on a bus, train or plane and you haven’t chatted with the person next to you because of your preoccupation with your smart phone.
There are positives in having a smart phone such as;
* You can get information or news instantly in regards to what is happening in the world.
* You can contact people instantly if there is an emergency of some kind.
* You can make bank account transactions online to pay bills etc.
* You can learn new things with various apps such as learning the guitar, a new language ….
* You can chat to friends and family from all over the world with the simple click of a button. However there are certain drawbacks in regards to having a smart phone too such as;
* You are contactable 24/7.
* You may find it hard to switch off and relax.
* You can waste lots of time in your life that you could be doing other more worthwhile things such as learning something new. For example if you spend 2 hours per day on average on your smart phone this would equate to approximately 91 eight hour days!
* You can lose your communication and interaction skills with other people and even isolate yourself from life.
* You can also lose your need or desire to interact or socialise with other people.
Here are a couple of ways that I have come up with, that could help you to make your phone your slave rather than your master..
* Switch the phone on silent when you are with other people.
* Discipline yourself in regards to the times when you choose to respond to emails, texts, other messages etc.
* Place your phone in a different room to where you are sleeping and switch it off.
* When on a mode of public transport, look for other creative ways to occupy your time such as chatting with the person next to you or maybe just relaxing and enjoying the moment.
* Keep track of how much time you are on your smart phone everyday and be honest with yourself in regards if you used your time wisely.
* Have the courage to delete any apps that you believe are wasting a lot of your time.
* Limit your smart phone usage to a certain amount of time per day, for example 1 hour per day.
As always I would love to hear any feedback, comments or words of wisdom you may have.
Namaste. TW
swatik6 said:
Indeed, a well-written & factual piece about the increasing engagement with our SmartPhones. Though it was meant to save our time, however, it would not be wrong to re-define it as the waste of time.
Eventually, it is completely our choice to be the SmartMaster/DumbSlave of them! 🙂
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The Truth Warrior said:
Thanks 🙂 I so agree with you in regards that it is completely our choice. Namaste. TW
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2020hinessight said:
Reblogged this on 20/20 Hines Sight and commented:
Ironically I saw this post while getting ready for church. I am a slave to my smartphone.
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The Truth Warrior said:
Thanks for your honesty. Namaste. TW
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Mythoughts76 said:
I don’t own a cell phone.. I guess I’m not contaminated yet!
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The Truth Warrior said:
Thanks for sharing 🙂 Namaste. TW
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alphasiren said:
I am reading “Thrive” by Arianna Huffington and she is saying the same thing. I am going to put my phone in the other room and power out. Only becuase my husband has his phone for work and my kids know to call him in an emergency if I do not answer. It’s hard to watch others so engrossed in their phones, which in turn makes me super cognizant of not being that way. Thanks for writing about this. Reinforces what I have been thinking about. 🙂
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Noel said:
Great post! Ironically u am currently using my Iphone to read this post , but it is actually true that we have learned to depend on out phones too much to connect to others.
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The Truth Warrior said:
Yes it is ironic 🙂 Namaste. TW
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Roberta McDonnell said:
Very topical post- I totally agree – we need to develop a discipline with phones and other connective devices. While It is great to be in touch with people you would never otherwise meet, it is also important to stay focused and avoid overwhelm and overdose. Like everything in life it’s all about balance and each person needs to find their own. Great food for thought here and some helpful tips on getting the balance right. Thank you 🙂
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The Truth Warrior said:
You are very welcome. Namaste. TW
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Ian Gardner said:
Everything considered, the answer is MASTER unless one is master of one’s mind.
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The Truth Warrior said:
Very true!! Namaste. TW
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grantarot said:
A Spiritual teacher I know said” Man, being man/woman would go into technology and lose touch with love” seems the truth is becoming reality.
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The Truth Warrior said:
I really like those words!! Thanks for sharing. Namaste. TW
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The Voice of a Soul said:
Such a wonderful post, thank you for sharing this with us. I couldn’t help laughing when I read it, because I secretly recognise myself in this (sadly)!! I also wake up with my phone and go to sleep with it haha. So yesterday after reading your post, I deliberately put my phone in another room before I went to sleep. And I must admit, I didn’t miss it and I slept well! Thank you ❤
Much love and light,
Shaidi
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The Truth Warrior said:
You are very welcome 🙂 I am glad you liked. Thanks so much for sharing. Namaste. TW
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lruthnum said:
Great post, so true and applicable to so many of us. I hate how attached I am to my phone but this is a direct result of my work and blogging schedule. I will definitely try taking some of these tips in future and try to cut down my dependence on it.
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The Truth Warrior said:
It’s good to be aware. Thanks so much for sharing. Namaste. TW
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Annie S. said:
I agree with many of your points, especially that discipline is required when using smartphones. Being preoccupied with a phone is very distracting, annoying, and non-conducive to conversation.
I personally ask whoever it is typing away in front of my face to finish up and then resume conversation because I can’t talk to someone tapping away on their phone. It makes me lose track of my thoughts, and is extremely rude and inconsiderate anyway. If someone can take time out to meet you, then at least be courteous enough to make their time worthwhile instead of doing things you can put off for later.
However I too would panic if I realized I left my phone at home or that it’s running on low battery because that would mean I can’t call home in case I need to (due to delays or something coming up).
I also wouldn’t be able to switch off my phone at night (I put it on vibrate) because I’m slightly paranoid about someone calling me up during an emergency and missing their call.
I think you provide some pretty common sense advice. Balance is key because there are way too many people who clearly don’t know what that means!
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The Truth Warrior said:
I really like what you said. Balance certainly is the key!! Thanks for sharing. Namaste. TW
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The Truth Warrior said:
So true that balance is the key. Thanks for sharing. Namaste.TW
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Vic Rana said:
Good one. 🙂
Reminds me of a similar thing: In the beginning we enjoy our senses and later senses enjoy us..:-)
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The Truth Warrior said:
Thanks 🙂 So true!! Namaste. TW
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missL said:
This is good advice. I actually just BARELY made the switch to a smartphone (late bloomer, I know) and I already have developed somewhat of a dependence.
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The Truth Warrior said:
Thanks for sharing. Namaste. TW
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Sally's Healthy Living said:
Love your post. I removed my FB app off my Iphone and practice leaving it home some times. Very liberating!
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The Truth Warrior said:
I can only imagine. It’s requires discipline to be able to do this. Thanks for sharing. Namaste. TW
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Sally's Healthy Living said:
Freedom!
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The Truth Warrior said:
True 🙂 Namaste. TW
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the dune mouse (CybeleMoon) said:
I can’t add anything except to say that your post ringtones true!!! I hate that so many are so plugged in to all this technology, including myself. But I draw the line at smart phones. I am on the PC enough. When I go out I want to observe and experience what is out there!! My daughter is another story of course!! Walking down the Champs Elysees and at the Cliffs of Moher etc she had hers out texting away to friends back home!! I wanted to grab it and throw it into river or sea.
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The Truth Warrior said:
Thanks so much for your honesty! Great to hear from you. Namaste. TW
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Ascension Angels said:
Reblogged this on Ascension Angels.
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littlevoicetalks said:
If I could get away with throwing my phone in the bin, I would, seriously. I hate the fact I can be called upon 24/7 from various angles and one of the best times of my life a couple of years back, was when I was phoneless for 4 weeks. I had to go back to trust. Turning up a designated points as arranged by landline, only checking email when in front of a pc, carrier pigeon and smoke signals …
Sometimes I sit with friends for a coffee and they are more engaged with their phone and I think “why didn’t you go out for coffee with the person on the other end of the text?” And then realise that actually, if they did that, they’d just be texting me and neglecting the other friend they’d gone to coffee with.
It must a nightmare too for teachers with kids in the classroom. In my woebegone days, it used to passing a note around LOL.
Great piece
x
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The Truth Warrior said:
So very true what you said. I have experienced this as well. I remember a couple of years ago I did a walk called the camino in Spain and I purposefully had no phone for the 2 months and it was one of the most memorable experiences I have had. Thanks for sharing. Namaste. TW
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haridasgowra said:
good to share with us………#wordpress!
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The Truth Warrior said:
Thanks 🙂 Namaste. TW
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nessa said:
Reblogged this on nessa's blog.
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The Truth Warrior said:
Thanks for the reblog. Namaste. TW
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Luke Rambally said:
excellent article..id like to point out that the spelling needs to be corrected. Its not viper but it is Viber
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The Truth Warrior said:
Thanks so much for your comment :)I will fix straight away.Namaste. TW
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