What started as a convenient way to keep in touch has turned into a fixation. Blacks and whites, men and women, young and old, rich and poor – it seems everyone’s eyes and ears are constantly glued to a cellphone. Conversation with flesh-and-blood people runs a distant second.
Couples or friends sit together in cafes or restaurants and speak or text into their separate phones. Families around a dinner table don’t even look at each other as thumbs fly.
Numerous accidents have been caused by people driving or crossing the street while distracted by their phones. Cellphone users often cannot keep their eyes off the screen or their attention on their surroundings.
E-mails and messages are checked frequently. The phones are always nearby, like a security blanket. Many take them to bed as assurance that nothing will be missed and no call will go unanswered.
People sitting on buses or trains or even in doctors’ waiting rooms are forced to hear loud, annoying, and often personal conversations of strangers. There seems to be no escape.
Human interaction has been affected. Individuals are informed via text messaging of deaths, relationship breakups – even that they’ve been fired.
What seems to be the ultimate inability to disconnect recently occurred in Florida. A man robbed a Miami bank while speaking on his cellphone. He brandished a weapon. He demanded money and received an unspecified amount of cash. Then he walked out to the parking lot and escaped – all while engrossed in his conversation. The FBI is investigating the crime.
Judaism has an antidote to this addiction. It’s called Shabbat. All phones and devices are shut down. Families and friends engage with one other. The Sabbath table is a place for sharing Torah wisdom and enjoying some good old-fashioned conversation. The synagogue is a place for camaraderie, prayer, and meditation.
High-tech devices are just sophisticated tools, and all tools need to be handled with care. Sometimes they need to be put aside and sometimes they need to be given a Sabbatical.