Why I Won't Use Cell Phones

There are just a few things in life that the majority of people accept as absolutes. There is the idea that it is better to be good than evil, that politicians lie, that children should be loved and protected, etc. But one absolute I am resisting is the recent one, that anyone who doesn't own and use a cell phone is nuts. There are a few of us non cell users out here, and while I don't object to anyone saying I am crazy (there is abundant evidence besides the cell phone thing to make that contention) I do contest the idea that my craziness is because I hate and refuse to use cell phones.

Every time I tell someone I don't have a cell phone, I notice a constipated look on their face. And when I disclose that I have never had one and do not want to have one anytime in my lifetime, they give me a look of shock (constipated shock). I know it is because they are addicted to their electronic device and they know no they are addicts, but still I find it hard to believe in their view that there is no life without cell phones. So I now make my case to you for not wanting to go near a cell phone.

First, that "You need to stay connected" reason they always declare makes no sense. I can be connected with my email, computer or land line. I surely don't want to carry those with me every second of every day as cell owners do. Cell phones are not just connections, they are the leashes the monkeys who use them are tied to. The very nature of them makes the user more and more addicted to them, moving away from real world experiences to electronic slavery. They may appear to be choosing to use their cells, but in fact, they are dragged by them into their short term gratification.....all the while not seeing the big picture of life. I don't want to "be in touch" every moment of my life as they are. Rather, choosing when to connect is a far better and healthier life style choice than being on a constant state of alert for the next cell phone vibration.

"But you will be inconvenienced not having a cell phone," the cell addicts claim. I say, thank God for that! If someone needs or want something from me or I of them, it can wait. I don't want people to find me whenever they want to. That is stalking, not communicating! Often not being available shows we didn't need "to be in touch" anyway, and that as a result we found better experiences as a substitute to the one the cell call would have brought. It is often through the inconveniences that we experience the difficulties that make life more unpredictable and interesting.

Cell phones make communicating so simple we become sloppy in out relationships. Some people even define themselves by the amount and frequency of cell phone communications they have. And they often find those phone calls to be the most meaningful relationships they have each day and plan there days around their phones. It's sad.

"Why don't you join the modern world and get a cell phone", some tell me. Fact is, I don't like the "modern world" (as they define it) enough to want one. I find that the more modernity I adopt the less I appreciate the things that matter most to me, and those are the simple non technological ones. When I see the cell robots chattering away about inconsequential mess on a beautiful, sunny, cool day I know they are far more likely to not notice what nature is showing them (my real world). Appreciating the beauty of a rainbow or sunset is one of life's glories. When the cell addict is chattering, he or she is unlikely to notice that. That's also sad.

Another reason for not owning or using a cell phone is the coarseness they bring to society. It's probably because cell phones are addictive and addicts behave badly that this happens. Society has become a colder and more rude place since cell phones and other recent technology captured humans and estranged them from each other. I have no desire to add to that by carrying the greatest modern weapon of cultural assault- the cell phone. Truth is, cell phones are crutches that enable people to be disorganized and self absorbed. Cell phones make people less organized, less capable of short term planning, less able to function on their own and make them much, much less polite to others. Every ring tone heard is the death knell for civility.

"But it's great technology," they say. Well, not all improvements in technology translate as being beneficial for humans. For example, nuclear weapons are a better and newer technology for armies today, but they surely are not weapons humans should use. New doesn't mean better, nor does convenience mean improvement. Every day I wonder why people follow the habits of others and blindly embrace cell phones without once evaluating whether those habits are an asset or liability to them.

Fact is, despite all the reasons cell phones can be convenient for users, in the end, they are like any other addictive product, giving the user a rush and exacting a heavy price to the health and welfare of the user.

Make my graveside epitaph this and I will rest in eternal peace..... 'He never Used a cell phone'