Footprints

by Budd Glassberg

Reprinted with permission from the Zionsville Times Sentinel on August 1, 2007

Time for a Break

“The automobile and the telephone are defeated as instruments of individualism by being applied to the needs of a mass society. The automobile fulfills man’s desire to move over the surface of the earth all by himself; but by becoming accessible to everybody, automobiles have paralyzed our streets. Individualism is possible only in plenty of empty space. Similarly, telephones block their own paths of individual communication when everybody is talking: the phone is too often “busy.” Private enterprise cannot but strangle itself.” – Rudolf Arnheim

One of the advantages to walking to and from work is that it allows me to observe others and what they are doing during their commutes. One growing phenomenon that I have noticed is a tendency for commuters to make a cell phone call the moment they get into their autos. This observation came at the Boone Village parking lot during an afternoon commute. Watching shoppers enter their vehicles and immediately begin a call as they accelerated away from their parking space, gave me the idea to count the people using cell phones on State Road 334 from Ford Road to the St. Alphonsus Church. That afternoon, I viewed all oncoming traffic heading east and found that drivers were using their cell phones in twenty-six of the forty-seven cars approaching me. I suppose I should not be surprised by this informal survey. In our multitasking society, we are bombarded by advancing technology which makes it simple for us to stay in contact with others. Beginning with e-mail, cell phones, and instant messaging and then the bombardment of VOIP and text messaging and climaxing with the iPhone, we have evolved into a society where constant communication has robbed many of us of our ability to be alone.

Not addressing the dangerous aspect of cell phone use while driving, I find the apparent need for immediate conversation at the first opportunity to spend some time alone is disturbing in its ramifications. Much of the quiet time our ancestors were blessed with is consumed by our constant need to communicate. Some people carry cell phones around like a ball and chain, so that others have 24/7 access to them. When does that person get a chance to be with himself, away from the many petty intrusions? There is a whole generation growing up with the apparent “need” to always have immediate access to others. Because technology has made this possible, it does not mean we must subscribe to it.

I am not advocating a step backward. The advantages of having cell phones and their benefits are not lost on me. It is the abuse of these devices which I find alarming. Adults and teens are so absorbed in their little communication devices, that some are completely unaware that their behavior around other people, while using these devices is both rude and obnoxious. This is an example of what is perceived to be acceptable behavior. A person in face to face conversation with another person will often take the call without even a word to the other person the call interrupted. We have all experienced the person in a checkout line that holds the line up while taking a call instead of going about the task at hand of paying for his purchases. Who among us has not wished that they did not have to hear one half of a phone conversation spoken in too loud a voice just a few feet away? What of the driver on the phone who is a menace to all around him, leaving a potential for accidents in his wake?

I believe most of us have been guilty of some of the above abuses at one time or another. While for some it might be an occasional indiscretion, for others it is a habitual occurrence. This might be a good time to step back and examine our use of cell phones and perhaps take a break from our current behaviors. By voluntarily curbing our use of these devices, we might add quality to our lives, while weaning ourselves from the addictions we perceive as “needs”. We might want to do this before it is done to us. At this time, there are 52 countries which ban the use of cell phone by the drivers of moving vehicles including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Russia, India and Japan. States such as California, New Jersey and New York as well as the cities of Washington D.C. and Chicago also ban this use. A ban was proposed by State Sen. Rose Antich Carr in January, 2004 was not successful, but others will come.

In high school, I read a science fiction short story called “The Feeling of Power” by Isaac Asimov about a futuristic society where people used pocket computers to do all mathematical computations (this was written and read well before calculators were invented). Reliance on computers for mathematics was absolute. The main character in the story finds an old man who is able to do mathematics in his head and on paper. The old man teaches him how mathematics can be done in this way. In the end, the main character marvels at the feeling of power he has in his ability to do math without a calculator. As in this short story, perhaps we might realize a similar feeling at some time in the future. It will be a feeling of freedom that we might have by not taking a cell phone with us as we leave our homes.

Budd Glassberg is a 23 year resident of Zionsville who works and volunteers in the community. Visit www.runz.com for reprints of all his columns. You can reach him by email at budd@runz.com.