Cell Phones: The Death of Conversation
Imagine receiving this invitation: “I have invited a few people to come over so we can stare at our phones and ignore each other. Want to join us?” We live in a time with we can communicate with almost anyone in the world. Yet, too often, we use our phones to ignore the primary people in our lives who are only a few feet away.
In 2016, Chick-Fil-A placed small boxes on their tables. These boxes issued a challenge. Each family or group was challenged to place their cell phones into the box for the duration of the meal. The hope was that the individuals would share an actual face to face conversation. If individuals told a Chick-Fil-A employee that they completed the challenge, each would get a small cone of ice cream. Has our society really reached the point that people must be rewarded for just talking to members of our family?
Chick-Fil-A is to be commended for highlighting the necessity of family members having a real conversation. Think for a moment about the people that made a very positive influence in your life. How often did you feel that person was ignoring you because their technology or any other distraction was more important than you? Obviously, there must be some balance because individuals must do certain things that produce their income or manage other responsibilities. Yet, time is a non-reusable resource that everyone should spend based on their true priorities.
A pastor once shared a story about a young boy that asked his dad about finances. The young man said “Dad, How much do you make an hour?” The father was one of the higher income earners in the community, and he was concerned that his son might want to go brag to his peers about his father’s income. So, the father attempted to dodge the question. The persistent young man began to voice suggestions about his dad’s hourly wage. “$10. . . . $20. . . . . $30 an hour” the son guessed. Without affirming anything, the father inquired as to why the son so persistently wanted to know about his wages. The son replied “I want to know how much of my allowance I need to save so I can buy an hour of your time.”
Regardless of whether our pre-occupation is in cell phones, television shows, work related activities, or even a time consuming hobby, there is only so much time in a day, week, month, and year. What are your true priorities? Specifically, who are the individuals in your life that your heart and soul prioritizes? Does your day to day activity reflect these true priorities?
Do you have scheduled rituals in your family life that creates meaning? On a daily basis, families should, as often as possible, have a meal together where all distractions are eliminated. This is a time when everyone has an opportunity to connect with each member of their family. On a weekly basis, families should have a family activity that invites each member to participate. Examples include family game night, family movie night, or a scheduled night that family members each take turns planning a family activity. On a monthly basis, families should have a day that is just for family. This day could be used to go visit relatives, or some other family favorite activity. Finally, all individuals need a week-long vacation from the daily grind, and this can also be a great bonding time for family.
Most people might say that they do not have time for all of that. Adding one hour per day for a meal, plus 4 hours per week for a family activity, plus 12 hours per month for family day, plus 168 hours (one week) per year for a family vacation equals a total of 884 hours in the course of a year. This is just over 10% of the 8,760 hours in a calendar year. If you struggle to meet this goal, are you really saying that your family is less than 10% of your real priority? Give your undivided attention wisely to those whom you desire to positively impact the most