Cell phones

My dear elder brother, a very successful businessman, recently bought me a cell phone as a birthday present, doubtless more out of kindness than pity.

At the risk of sounding like a modern-day communications "Luddite/dinosaur,"  I have felt no need to be constantly interrupted by being non-stop in "touch" with everyone.

There is much wisdom in the verse, "elected silence, sing to me." To go against the grain, we all need time for reflection, without the "threat" of being hounded by a cell-phone call.

Cyber-utopians, among them naive Americans like Alec Ross and Jared Cohen, laud the new internet world of "being connected" for the well-being of us all. But Cohen, an indefatigable lobbyist of the myth that technology-will-bring-us-paradise, and who now works for Google (surprise?), doesn't bother to answer Facebook messages, as I have personally experienced. Indeed, his Facebook entries, so far as I can tell, do not allow room for comments.

Having said that, I find the internet a wonderful research tool. If I had my way, I'd put all "knowledge" on the "Net," free of charge. Forget about silly copyright rules by profit-mad publishing businesses, which all along have mercilessly exploited their authors and readers for the bottom line.

But I have doubts about being "constantly in touch" with "anybody/everybody." (While you search the internet, you initiate the search, not the reverse, to state the obvious). Sure, a cell phone allows you not to receive calls non-stop.

But the basic assumption of such a "me-you-you-me" communications system is that you are, in fact, "reachable at all times," which in case of emergencies/important decisions is of course laudable. But for persons trying to have moments of reflection and privacy this assumption poses certain problems, even if (let's hope), "you can turn the damn thing off."

Doubtless, the cell phone is very much a steroids-propelled extension of the traditional landline telephone -- which did not allow consumers (I hope I am not incorrect technically in saying this) to "turn that ring off," except pretending by not answering the call from your angry lover (I am generalizing) that you weren't there dying to receive her/his oral missives, a wonderful theme in some great 1940s movies.

I also worry (too strong a word) about the impact the cell phone is having on the American "public space." As an example, you walk on streets, here in the DC imperial capital where I live,where maybe 50% of the passers-bye are uttering, with acid-sounding voices, whatever is on their minds on their cell phone, never sharing eye-contact with the unknown person near them, doubtless, in their view, a potential serial killer.