Cell Phones of Power

 So I am in the mood for a self-reflection type of blog entry...

It never ceases to amaze me as I get older how much people try to control others. Lessons I learned as a child through such things like the Bible, fantasy stories like The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars, etc. always emphasized that power can be a really bad thing. It has its limits and trying to control others through power is not what we should be doing. The ability to control what others do is not really up to me.

Years ago, I was shopping for some food at a chain grocery store. I got to the register to check out and the woman asked me if I had the "members card" for the store and asked if wanted to sign up for free. I said, "Oh no, that is okay." The deal was I would save a dollar or two by having the card for the store. She looked at me kind of strange and took some other person's card to give me the discount. 

While I appreciate discounts, my concern then was why do you want my personal information for some card? Are you keeping records of what I buy each week or month? That was then, this is now.

I am not a big fan of cell phones. I really do not like talking on the phone very much. I was forced to get one as a way of instant communication with my family when I was dealing with my mother's health issues.  

Now when I go to stores, my membership cards that I do have, are not as important as having some app on my cell phone. All you need to do is install an app I am told. The best discounts are now on apps. The last thing I want is my cell phone filled with these stupid apps for each store I visit.

Of course, as I have said in the past, social media apps are a big problem in this area too. All these programs are designed to keep you using your cell phone. It is all "FREE" we are told, but...they can get your personal information, keep you online for more ads, try to "influence" your thoughts and beliefs, etc. As an aside, if a new "can we be friends" person communicates with me wants my personal info or cell phone number, I consider that a bad sign, and typically a scammer. 

It feels like the whole point of "someone" out there is to create addictions in us, so we are controlled by our cell phones.

What is my solution to this? Turn it off. That is easier said than done when instant communication is needed between family and friends for many of life's events. That is the paranoia that I have when I turn everything off. What if something happens when I have it turned off and people are trying to get a hold of me. 

In The Lord of the Rings story there is the character of Gollum who we find out was once a hobbit who was corrupted by the power of the one ring. He has a love/hate relationship with it calling it his "precious".  While there are many characters we can relate to in those books, I think the character of Gollum is a lot closer to the way we humans are then we would like to admit. 

As I have always tried to emphasize on this blog. It is important to turn off the computers, cell phones, etc. and get out there in the real world. You may not have easy access to nature where you live, but at least getting out of the house is a good thing. Explore the real world even if it is the streets of the big city. Do not get sucked into thinking that what is online is the real world. It is not. 

Also, do not neglect paper books or other reading non-electric materials. I will say that reading a book or classic on an electronic tablet I own can be considered in this, but I do risk interference and distractions from the internet.  

Some level of discipline must be kept in our lives regarding this. This is why turning things off and getting out there exploring nature has been so important to me. Believe me, my feelings would not be hurt if you decided to stop reading my blog or watching my videos in order that you could get out into the real world.