Being Aware and Careful, While Paying Attention

As I waited for the commercial to finish, I thought, when does it end? Our seeming relentless need to upgrade, in a moment's notice, is a frightening scenario. Where is the money coming from? When does need supersede want? When does it stop, even momentarily? There is no money tree out back. 

We are inundated with the 'cry to buy'. The incessant need to upgrade to appease ourselves while the manufacturer and retailer laugh all the way to their respective bottom lines makes fools of us all. This forever-dance called shopping will be our undoing. With part-time jobs the new reality for many of us - wanting full-time work - when do we start saving for that house of the future, for that investment, when work is done and our bodies are slowing down? What is the plan? ...

Our personal devices are getting smaller and more compact, with more design features than we could have ever imagined in a lifetime. We live in an incredible high-tech world, unlike anything that has ever existed, enabling us to wear our personal devices, with their ensuing histories, wherever we go. Our high-tech wrist watches, a mini-computer incognito, is our on-the-spot library tool. Is it an invitation to a steady diet of EMFs, identity theft or a serious threat to safety? This clothing accessory, in plain view, comes with a 'hazardous label' attached. Where are we going with all of this? When will small be small enough, cute enough? What is the daily cost to health?

The overuse of certain fingers, on one hand, can be associated with the age-old ligament problem called carpal tunnel syndrome. With the continual use of certain fingers and the constant downward motion of our neck, are we advancing towards a new and crude form of ligament degeneration/arthritis, later on? These incredible portable devices are central to the functioning of our personal and business lives. It is fact. What is next? Is our vision also being affected as we continually view tiny script on these futuristic message boards? And are we forgetting those yearly eye exams or are those tests only for 'old' people? Are we stressing our bodies more and aging differently even though the calendar says we are not there yet?

Listening to music has changed into a solitary moment that never seems to end, wherever we go! ... Once upon a time, ear phones were monstrous hearing apparatus, attached to our heads. These amplifiers of sound were on our ears, not in them. Are we now exposing ourselves and our developing children to a new health risk of the future: hearing loss? Does a momentary lapse of volume control, in a cute little ear piece, done repeatedly, over time, harm our sense of hearing, sooner? In advancing old age, hearing loss is expected. Is this 'weakness' now being hastened? Does being momentarily distracted while wearing these tiny hearing gadgets pose a threat to our safety, too? Being unaware of the environment, as we walk to the store, listening to our music, can pose a danger to life. We have heard countless stories, in the news, of people being distracted with terrible consequences the result. (We are unaware of our environment because our personal devices are distracting us.)

Momsey used to live in a time where the black landline telephone was the only way to reach out and touch someone. Leaving a message did not exist, either. Now, we can reach out to the world, in an instant, as we carry our gadgets with us. We are all on-the-spot photographers, videographers and film directors. There seems to be no mechanism to shut off our incessant need to access information or connect to real or imaginary people. ... Distraction seems to be our newest troubling trait. ... Are our children and grandchildren now the recipients of a new generation of distracted caregivers? Will one-on-one ever be the same? While visiting the food building at the Toronto CNE, (Canadian National Exhibition) this past summer, my husband and I were seated next to a family of four who had just sat down to have lunch. Suddenly, each member of the family began using their personal devices. Who were they calling? What appointment had they missed? Why were they here if they were not plugged into each other? Where are we going with this? 

The other day, my editor, the 24-year-old-dynamo called Lucy, remarked that we are devolving as a society. I listened, saddened by her youthful commentary, wondering. Is she right? We are ever so connected, yet socially isolated, all at the same time. How can that be? We are inundated with all manner of products to buy as we watch the small screen, or the motion picture extravaganza on the big screen. We hold our cell phones, tightly, while engaging in conversation, ever so mindful that someone might be calling. Could it be the president, a CEO or Steven Spielberg? Are we losing the ability to write? Handwriting and the postal system are becoming relics of a bygone era. Has looking into the eyes of a co-worker, loved one or the family pet been replaced by simply 'talking' to them on the small screen. It is disconcerting. Maybe, Lucy was right.