In the World of His Cell Phone

The Split Second-In Consideration of Others in These Trying Times or Look Up from the Phone

I am still trying to get my unpublished book The Split Second:  In Consideration of Others or Look Up from the Phone and How to Deal with Rudeness in Others” published. However, in the calendar year, 2023, I have tended to become discouraged about the project. That comes easily to me, and I am not proud to admit that. I have not given up.

I went to the local International House of Pancakes (don’t we all know it as IHOP?) this morning at 7:00 am as I like to do on Sunday mornings. I was the second customer of the day. The first customer was a “gentleman” who, from what I could tell, lived in a world I call “I’m going to do what I want to do when I want to do it” which means this kind of person has no regard for others and demonstrates it with his/her actions. I could see this quality about him as he took out his cell phone and proceeded to call someone and speak very loudly. His discourse was laced with much profanity. I was trying to read and was bothered by this. Soon, I found myself grateful that no families with small children were in the restaurant. Finally, I wondered who he could be calling on Sunday morning at 7:00 am. Did he just have to speak with someone? He was in his world with no concern whatsoever for anyone else’s world or peace of mind.

In The Split Second, I discuss how we as members of a society have changed our world with the overuse and over-reliance on the cell phone. Too many folks do not think (a quintessential component of my book) about others around them when using a cell phone. This can be demonstrated with people’s loud conversations, or their decisions to play loud music stemming from the phone. People might comment on these practices and say, “They don’t care what they are doing to others.” I think it’s more like “They aren’t thinking about other people whatsoever; it’s all about their world.” The concept of The Split Second would have us think about our actions as they involve other people directly. I wish people would ask themselves, “Does my conversation or my music disturb other people,” and then take action if either of those does disturb someone else. There are not enough of those considerations right now. I think we would have a better society if more of us were that much more considerate of others. I am having a difficult time selling that point right now, and I have even had others challenge me on it or tell me that I am being ridiculous with my crusade. Again, I have not given up.