I never screened calls.
There were many times I wish I had, but I never did.
I don't screen calls now.
Today, some creative screening is in order.
An unsolicited suggestion from me, to you people who cannot let go of your screen long enough to even have a conversation, is to Screen-Your-Screen.
When I see people sitting together at a table in a restaurant and every one of them is on their "smart" device, I am left to wonder, how smart do you have to be to put the "smart" device down.
We should all be very concerned about the relationship damage that is being done to people, who are in the same room, and do not acknowledge anyone or anything other than their screen. The device they are obsessed with is not the answer, even though it may have access to billions of answers.
While you are sitting there on your smart-phone do a search on; The damages smart devices do to relationships. I did and there were 12,200,000 results in1/2 second! (I did not read all 12,200,000 studies.)
The essence of the majority of the studies I read shows that smart phones are undeniably damaging to relationships of every kind and at every level. The time spent on the device is damaging, but even more damaging is the terrifying dependence on the device.
The more dependent an individual is to their device, the greater the relationship damage. One study found that a majority of young people asked, would run into a burning building to get their device!
Another study found that individuals, obsession with their smart device can actually make their significant-other depressed. Kind of like second-hand smoke causes damage to health.
Most of us know the world before these so-called smart devices and the world after, or as it is now. What about the impressionable young people who do not know any other world?
You don't have to look too hard, in order to place blame. We are what we tolerate.
The example we are leading with, is that it is okay to look at your screen and not the person sitting across the table. The result of such behavior will manifest into serious unintended consequences and do more damage to relationships, than the cane toad has done to the animal population in Australia.
In 1935 Australia imported and let loose the cane toad as means to control the grey-backed cane beetle. This species of beetle causes significant damage to sugar cane, a major crop in Australia. Problem is, that the cane toad does not eat grey-backed cane beetles. What the cane toad does do, is secrete a highly poisonous substance through its skin. And now, the citizens of Australia, are paying for the unintended consequence. A rude awakening indeed.
This society is in for a very rude awakening. Just wait until this screen-addicted-connected-generation takes over and we, who grew up actually shaking hands, hugging and looking other people in the eye, have to communicate with decision makers who don't know how to relate.
We allowed it, we own it and far too soon, I fear, we are going to live it.
Turn it off or at least turn it over.
Screen your screen.
