Put Down the Cell Phone and Shorten the Distance

The satirical cartoon above symbolically illustrates how people act on a long train ride—they all focus on their own affairs without talking or looking at each other. A person requested the women beside him to talk to him for a while simply because he forgot to bring his cell phone.

What the thought-provoking picture conveys lies in one of the greatest disadvantages of cell phone. It is a fact that we do not talk to strangers when travelling anymore. In the past, several people waiting for a bus would engage in a conversation. People who travelled the same routes every day might develop friendships along the way. Today when people are waiting for a bus, they just pull out their cell phones and speak with old friends, missing out on the opportunity to make new ones.

This is how this communicating tool changes the way we interact with each other. While they enable acquaintances to keep in closer touch with each other, the gap between strangers has been broadened. As social animals, we are beginning to lose the face-to-face contact that was such a significant part of our lives in the past.

In my view, cell phones are a tool in aiding in our everyday lives. We should remember, however, to hang up every once in a while and pay attention to the world around us.