I was in a café, killing some time while awaiting the arrival of my husband and step-son. I was enjoying a lovely hot cappucino and making some notes in my Moleskine for my next book and I just happened to look up and gaze out at the passers-by, where I observed two young women walking side by side. They were obviously going somewhere together as they were walking rather quickly through the freezing cold at the same pace.
And what I noticed was, they were BOTH talking on their cell phones.
It suddenly struck me as so odd, although it's probably not that uncommon, that they were with each other but totally engrossed in conversations on their phones. I'm sure they were both talking to other people which was bad enough, because if they were together then why did they both need to talk to other people. But then I had a moment where I couldn't help wonder: ARE they actually talking to each other... ON THEIR CELL PHONES? WHILE WALKING RIGHT NEXT TO EACH OTHER? Have we finally gotten THAT reliant on technology that we can't have a simple conversation without some appliance in our hands?
It reminded me of the movie WALL-E where it's far, far into the future and people float around on hover-lounge chairs talking to each other ONLY through video phones (with hands free to drink smoothies and press buttons -- their only form of exercise -- all day long). And when, because of WALL-E, some of the people inadvertently lose their screens or fall out of their chairs (and out of their self-induced technology comas), they are dumbfounded because they haven't had a conversation with anyone face-to-face in, like, FOREVER.
I like my techno-gadgets as much as the next person but PUH-LEEZ. Let's not lose the ability to be aware of our surroundings or to interact with each other like what we are: PEOPLE.
And now, having said that, I think I'll close my laptop and go talk to my husband. Although he might be on HIS computer or iPod Touch.. reading this blog.
