JudoWolf.com

The older man sat at his kitchen table opposite his friend Judowolf. They had been there for the past hour discussing a variety of topics. The last half hour Judowolf had been on a rant about cell phones and there usage. Finally when Judowolf came up for air the older man stated, “Why don’t you write about it?” “It will make you feel better to get it off your chest.” A wolfish grin spread over Judowolf face as he replied,” That’s a really good idea. I’m going to do it”. Rising from the table the two embraced and Judowolf headed for the front door and his home.
When Judowolf got home he sat down at the computer and wrote the following. Cell phones are the curse of our modern society. When they were first introduced it was a blessing for many people (especially woman) who were traveling and broke down or encountered a crisis. These marvelous machines kept people safe until help arrived. When I worked for hospice on the night shift it helped with the communication between me, the nurses in the field, the head nurse in the office, the patient, and their family. The cell phone was the most valuable tool we had for communicating, enabling us to provide the best care possible for the patient. THEN ALL HELL BROKE LOSE.
Now, we have phones that take pictures, have projectors, can go on the internet, can check email, send and receive email, watch TV and movies, give directions, tell you the best place to shop or eat, the nears hospital, and the BANE OF SOCIETY TEXTING. It amazes me how fast the development of the cell phone has progressed from a tool of assistance to one of absolute necessity. It seems everyone owns one and is always talking on them. They are in the grocery stores, sidewalks, pumping gas, playing golf, ordering food, and in their cars. The other day I was in the mall and saw all these people walking around with these blue things sticking out of their ears. I thought they worked for the FBI or CIA and were guarding a famous person or maybe the president was shopping. Then I realized it was the new blue tooth thingy. The marvelous new technology that enables people to talk while their hands are free hands. “What a great invention”?
When the phone first began it was used only for communicating. The land line was in all homes and was as necessary as the refrigerator. People would talk on them for hours (especially teenagers) and often it was a joy to get a long distance call from a relative residing out of state. Most communicating was done face to face and the phone was used for talking with friends and loved ones who were out of the area. The advantage we had back then was we had more alone time. When you went out you could enjoy the time without being hassled by the ringing of the phone. A family vacation was time spent with the family whether you liked it or not. It was a different time and some would say a boring time. Today, we can be in constant contact with all our loved ones and friends. True. The question is, “What about alone time?” “How do you get away?” More and more these two questions seem to be popping up as people become overwhelmed with communication. Everybody is connected to each other by the cell phone and all the marvelous operations it performs. If you don’t have one you are considered from the” Dark Ages”. People don’t understand how you can possibly live without a cell phone. The question they always ask is, “What are you going to do if an emergency arises? You would not know and may get there too late”. EMERGENCY?! This is the new trigger word to get people to believe they cannot live without a cell phone. The real emergency takes place in the hospital when a code blue is called. When your cell phone rings and the person tell you there has been an accident panic sets in immediately. Naturally, you rush to the hospital and hope you are not too late. That wouldn’t be an emergency, but a crisis. “Why do people have to call you to see where you are or what you are doing?” It is like being watched all the time. “Do your loved ones trust you”? I don’t own one and my life is much quieter. I am the one person who should have one as my wife has MS and is often home alone. She understands if I was out and she called it would take me time to get home. She never panics and knows by the time I get home the crisis would have passed. So, “Why do you need a cell phone?” Please don’t tell me because everyone else has one and I want to be in touch. This would be fine if the cell was still only a phone.
The cell is now a multiple tool of communication that allows us to speak with our friends and family. The part of the tool we are using more and more is the printed part, creating a society that is senders and not talkers. Yet, we feel our communication has increased. This is not true. When you are with a group of people how many times is the conversation interrupted by the ring of the cell or the vibration of a text? The person cell who has rung most often says,” I have to take this it is important”. Talking face to face is communicating too. Some people talk too much and too loud on the cell. How many times have you been out and a person on a cell is talking so loud you think they are talking with you. Is it possible these people may want a little attention? There is nothing more rewarding then hearing someones voice over the phone. When you hear their tone, inflections, and how they are speaking you truly know how they feel. Reading their words on the screen doesn’t help you know if they are lying or are in crisis. This brings us to texting.
TEXTING SHOULD BE BANNED. It is one of the worst inventions in our society and is opening a larger gap with communication. “How can that be?” When we start reading our friends and loved ones words we are growing further apart. A bartender I know use to have the servers come and order drinks while they were texting. Then they would return and tell the bartender he made the drink wrong. If the server got her head out of her as- (excuse me out of her screen) her order would have been right. Today, there is nothing ruder than people walking along flicking their fingers on a screen not paying attention to who they are with or where they are going. The worst and most dangerous form of texting is when driving. There is no way you can drive and look down. More accidents are caused by texting than drunk drivers. This seemed a little harsh and I have not looked up statics’ on this problem, but at least drunk drivers are looking at the road. For the life of me I will never understand what is so important that the person has to answer a text immediately. The communication has become immediate. “What ever happen to the phrase I’ll call you back?” (Oops, my bad. They are not talking, but reading. Guess you would have to tell them I’ll read you later. No, that wouldn’t work as they would still have to text.) If writing is your passion then go home and send an email. This is much safer and less intrusive. We already have enough languages in this world and don’t need a phrase language made up of letters. Enough is enough. What we need is to use the tools properly. A phone is a phone and used to LISTEN TO OTHERS. A camera is a camera and was invented to take pictures. A computer is a multiple tasking machine and should be used to complete these tasks. Email is for letter writing and keeping in touch. I know this would bring our high tech society back a few steps. Would that be so bad? I for one don’t think so. A little more face to face and less screen to screen would go a long way. Thank you for listening to me.

With kindest regards, Judowolf