As I was driving to the gym the other morning, I noticed a couple of pre-teen girls walking down the street. I am certain they spoke with each other the night before to plan out their wardrobe, because they definitely had somewhat of a coordinated “uniform” look going on -- right down to the hairstyles and cell phones. The two girls were walking together, each talking on their own cell phone (which were matching pink, I might add). Were they speaking with each other? I hope not. That would probably not have made their parents happy about the use of the phone they bought their eleven-year-old to use for “emergencies only.”
So, perhaps one of their parents called to remind them to pick something up on the way home. Or maybe it was Grandma checking in to say, “I love you.” Probably not. I think they each called another couple of friends to make sure they got the latest urgent memo that it was “hair in pony tail, not straight down.” Phew! I am so glad they are only using it for emergencies.
The next group of kids each had their own iPod. Why did they even bother walking together? They were each listening to their own song, watching their own Podcast, or playing a game. Did you know that 31% of children between the ages of six and ten years old own some sort of iPod? They listen to kids’ songs and can download the Disney channel and get to act cool and grown up.
So, as I got to the gym and checked in, I realized I couldn’t work out. Why? I forgot my iPod! How could I work out without my iPod? I don’t know if I’ve ever done it successfully before. As I stood in the lobby of the gym in a complete quandary, I recalled the seventies when I actually started going to the gym. Well, it wasn’t actually a gym, it was called Pam’s Figure-tique.
Stop laughing. Everyone was able to workout without MP3 players back then. Even in the obsessive eighties we would carry on conversation with the person on the Stairmaster next to us to make the time go by. Over the years I have met some very interesting people and learned some amazing facts through the benefits of casual conversation.
Based on fond workout memories, I chose to go iPod-less for the day. “I can do this,” I convinced myself as I went to the equipment. There were at least a dozen people around the area where I chose to begin my workout. Only one of them forgot their iPod. This person chose to watch the music videos on the overhead plasma TVs. Instead of making light conversation between workout sets, each person was looking down and bobbing their head to their very own beat. It was actually quite sad. What’s really sad is when they don’t realize we can hear them and they start singing out loud with their tunes. Don’t get me wrong. I appreciate and actually enjoy my iPod, but I realize that in this marvelous age of technology we have denied ourselves the enriching art of conversation.
While I admit that I have turned around and driven all the way home from an outing to pick up my cell phone and have skipped going to the gym because I didn’t have my iPod, I think it’s time to re-evaluate what we are missing out on by relying on the luxuries of technology. It is especially distressing to me that we are allowing our children to isolate themselves with the Internet, iPod, and cell phone use (even if they use yours to play a game) and miss out on interacting with real people and real situations that help them mature and grow and make wise decisions based on real experiences.
Should we ban these helpful tools? Certainly not. Let’s just maintain some balance in our lives and remember that we need “people time,” too.
Make an effort to get back to meeting new people and exploring the world through conversation. If you can’t think of a subject, you can start by talking about the new Podcast or playlist you downloaded. It’s better than nothing.