Recently
my sister and I had a conversation about how cell phone technology has affected
the way people interact with one another today, specifically when it comes to
being kind, courteous, grateful, and being polite. Have you ever encountered any
of these situations lately?
* A
relative passes away, and you are informed with an email.
* You
hold the door for the person walking directly behind you, and they pass you
without smiling, nodding, or saying “thank you.”
* You
are talking to a young child or teenager (not your daughter or son), and they
roll their eyes with disdain at any time during the conversation.
* You
call your credit card company’s customer service number, and the representative
addresses you by your first name like they know you personally.
* A
person bumps into you on the street on in the mall and they don’t even say “excuse
me” or “sorry.”
* You
are trying to merge into traffic on a busy street, and no one stops or slows
down to let you gain entrance to the roadway.
* You
give a friend playoff tickets to see the NY Devils play at Madison Square
Garden, and they never call to say “thank you” the day after. (LOL – Inside
joke for Seinfield fans.)
If
I wanted to know how to spell a word as young girl, I would go look up that
word in the dictionary. If I wanted to know how to cook a pepper steak dinner,
I would watch my mother cook in our kitchen. If I needed to learn how to add
and subtract numbers, I would study addition and subtraction number facts. I believe
the current 40something generation with be the last to have used their brains
to experience all that life has to offer. As a child, I used my brain to
memorize facts and information to get smarter because there was no such thing
as a “SmartPhone.” Want to know how
to spell a word today? There’s an App
for that. Want to get a recipe for
dinner tonight? There’s an App for that.
Want to learn how to add and subtract. There’s
an App for that. What an oxymoron! – “Smartphones” are making us dumb and our
brains numb. I love my iPhone as much as the next Apple customer, but I still
use my brain to acquire new information. Currently I am learning how to create
and maintain Terrariums. Yes I actually went to the library, checked out the
book ("The New Terarrium" by Tovah Martin – information retrieved from memory not
Google), and acquired that book free of charge.
For
goodness sake, today you don’t even have to open a book to learn how to read.
Cell phone technology has taken us so far away from the basics that I fear the younger generations
will never really learn anything. Oh sure the typical kindergartener today is
much smarter than I ever was at the age of 5, but that’s because they are
exposed to so much more information and technology. I probably did not know the
difference between a triangle and a hexagon at age 5, but I did acquire two
Master’s Degrees and a State Certified Teaching License by the age of 38. How
many of these “Android dependent" teenie boppers will accomplish the completion of
two advanced college degrees and passing of state required tests in order to pursue
their chosen occupation or career? In fact I challenge you to visit your local
High School, find the English Teachers, and review the latest essays written by
their students. If you dare to take on my challenge, look specifically for
misspellings, grammatical errors, and syntax oversights. If you’re still not
convinced, go to your favorite fast food restaurant, and request that the
“teenage” cashier give you change for $20.26 for a meal that cost $7.11 without
looking at the cash register?
All
of this brings me to a more disconcerting fact of the “SmartPhone” age – the
dissolution of the development of “Character
Traits.” As a mother and educator, I believe the development of “Character
traits’ are equally important as knowing how to solve Algebraic equations. Why?
Character traits are a wonderful set of principles to live by, and making good
choices by knowing the right thing to do in life can never steer you wrong. I
recently read an article that listed all ten character traits and how to
develop them for yourself and within your family:
The
10 Character Traits
1. Be Honest. Tell the truth; be sincere; don't mislead or withhold key
information in relationships of trust; don't steal.
2. Demonstrate integrity. Stand up for your beliefs about right and wrong; be your
best self; resist social pressure to do wrong.
3. Keep promises. Keep your word and honor your commitments; pay your debts
and return what you borrow.
4. Be loyal. Stand by family, friends, employers, community and country;
don't talk about people behind their backs.
5. Be responsible. Think
before you act; consider consequences; be accountable and "take your
medicine".
7. Be kind and
caring. Show you care through generosity and compassion; don't be selfish
or mean.
8. Treat all people with
respect. Be courteous and polite; judge all
people on their merits; be tolerant, appreciative and accepting of individual
differences.
9. Be fair. Treat all people fairly; be open-minded;
listen to others and try to understand what they are saying and feeling.
10. Be a good citizen. Obey the law and respect authority; vote, volunteer your
efforts; protect the environment.
Smartphones
are creating a generation of socially and morally inept citizens. A world where
is it much easier for people to text messages than it is to actually pick up
the phone to dial and speak to someone. A world that makes it easier for people
to hide in the “internet abyss of unidentifiable miscreants” and create schemes
that hurt, steal from, and deceive innocent victims.
Can
you imagine a world without rudeness, bullying, and unethical behavior? A world filled with compassionate people who treasure the
gift of friendship and forgiveness. A world filled with good
citizens who use these principles as an excellent basis for developing a “Personal Value System” because they
know the meaning of respect and fairness. A world filled with honesty resulting in the filing of
fewer frivolous law suits because of unethical behaviors and greed. If so,
develop your own “personal philosophy”
that incorporates the character traits above. Share your personal philosophy
with your family members today, and especially with the children. I
believe that it takes a village of “well-balanced” adults to raise a “well-balanced
child”, and there’s no App for that….
"Good
character is more to be praised than outstanding talent. Most talents are, to
some extent, a gift. Good character, by contrast, is not given to us. We have
to build it piece by piece -- by thought, choice, courage and
determination."
John Luther
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