WHAT’S HAPPENED?

Mine is pearl white

On Saturday I went to Sunrise Toyota for service on my Prius. After 2,500 miles of a brand new Prius, Toyota needs reassurances from me that the thing works. It does, and well!

After checking in, I was directed to a waiting area where they offered one coffee, free of charge and therefore worth the wait. (I’m cheap on myself)

I took along with me something to read, a 35-page lawsuit that was filed against the State of New York to disengage a statute on Guardianships and Article 17-A. Although it is fascinating reading, it is a little dry. The car would be ready in about 40 minutes so it was a good time to do some out of the ordinary reading.

I could have taken a rather large tome about Alexander Hamilton, but instead chose to catch up with reading I needed to do.

As I settled in with my free coffee, my lawsuit, and a pen, I started to make notes and underline or circle as I went, pausing only for brief looks at people as they passed me. Aside from myself, there were eight other customers waiting in this rather large waiting room. As I looked at each one, all were empty handed except for one thing, you got it, a cell phone!

Eight people of all ages were looking at their cell phones, engrossed as the only movement was their thumbs moving up and down the screens. I could have set up a machine gun in the middle of the room and no one would have noticed!

What is happening, should leisure time be spent on social media and emails? Doesn’t anyone read anymore? Are the libraries and book publishers slowly dying because of the electronic age and social media? Are we destined to become so void of any humanity, no more reading and speaking to each other that we will become isolated beings?

Back in 1991, I eagerly embraced computers, having been responsible for having them brought to my company and creating a whole new way to be creative. However, good that may have been I am part of the demise I wail against, for it has indeed taken over my life, too!