It was a wonderful evening! We were invited to a dinner and I was enjoying talking to a graceful lady clad in fine chiffon dress with beautiful, manicured hands and a nice hairdo, when my eldest cutie pie F brought the conversation to a pause with her polite," excuse me"
"Yes Sweetie"
"Can I have your cell phone,please?"
"No, I refused with a smile.
"Please!Please!Pleaaeseeee! I so want to play a game! "
Its not a toy,sweetheart"
"I'm not a kid either, my nine and a half years old reminded me." I'll take care of it"
I perfectly knew where this argument was heading to. The sophisticated lady smiled. I felt uneasy. I knew it was not a place to lecture her so I decided to resign now while making a mental note of handling it later.
"OK , but for five minutes only." I didn't want to lose the battle
"No, twenty."
"Not at all, maximum ten."
"OK fifteen, done, please Mama"
"Fine but not a second more than that"
"Sure, definitely, love you mom."
"Love you too darling." I smiled and tried to connect the thread of conversation with lady again.
We hardly talked for five minutes when someone almost screamed in my ears."MammmmmA!"
Here was my six years old hero with tears in his eyes,wailing," Its not fair you give your mobile to aapi not me, you always do this, always....reeeeeen...aaaaan.....raaaaan....."
"Awww, mama ki jaan" I hugged him and promised,"when aapi is done you can get it."
"Noooooo!No!No! I want it now."
I thought its better to excuse myself and handle the situation. So I took him to his father who allowed him to use his own mobile. Though he is strictly against giving his cell phone to kids but since he got his separate one for official use so at times he compromises and specially when a conversation with a nice lady is getting interrupted time and again :)
Well, now situation was pretty under control. We had some good chat for around five good minutes when my daughter who was asleep in her stroller woke up. I sighed!It was not at all my day!
My little angel who usually wakes up smiling was not in good spirits that day and started crying on the top of her voice," Keeka wawa! Keeka wawa!" Her words for 'twinkle twinkle little star". I got up, took the mobile from F and gave it to her sis after playing her favourite app for nursery rhymes.
The way back home was the reprimanding time for elder ones. They quietly listened our lecture while the baby happily enjoyed kika wawa on my mobile.
After couple of days, when that night and kids cellular tantrums were long forgotten, I was talking to my Ami through Tango, I said,"What a treasure this Internet is! We are in two different continents but we talk for hours without being worried about call charges, isn't it a blessing which has brought us so close!"
After a pause she replied," You are right but it has brought those close who are away but kept those away who are sitting beside you."
"Why so?" I asked
"Look you are in another country but still we are able to talk and share. I miss your presence but feel good when I hear your voice or see you and kids through video. But I know that you are away and if sometimes we couldn't talk its understandable but the thing which hurts me is to see your brothers and sisters, under the same roof ,some times sitting beside me but neither of them is free to talk to me."
"Why?"
It was quite a shock to hear all this from my Mom who doesn't like to complain at all...I'm part of a culture where families are closely knit together. Where people love to talk and share. Where evenings are celebrations. Where gatherings are rituals. And now there she was..feeling alone!
And that was the MOMENT when I realised what is wrong and what am I supposed to do about it !
The problem lies in the fact ;
“Apparently we love our own cell phones but we hate everyone else’s.” – Joe Bob Briggs
It is a fact that they have made lives incredibly easy and they are so irresistibly attractive that to put them away seems the most difficult task on earth but the tragedy is that WE have ALLOWED them to rule over us. We have turned these very useful, cute, little gadgets into ZOMBIES..... forgetting the fact that they are supposed to facilitate our lives not to direct them. We should use them not to be used by them.
Truly they have enhanced the solitary factors of our lives more than any other gadget.
There is no harm to google about things you don't know. Its lovely to discover old buddies on facebook. Its fascinating to reinvent the past...But...it should not be at the cost of your PRESENT and your PRESENCE!!!
I so want to say this to all those moms and dads,husbands and wives,brothers and daughters...whoever you are and wherever you are....you don't need to bring your office back home in your mobiles. Once you are home, its family time! Put your cells away! And I so want to say this to at home moms...once your kids are back home, pleaseeeee disconnect yourself from the web and reconnect to your bundle of joys!
Listen and talk! Smile and make others smile too! Openly share and show that you care!
All these beeps can wait. All those messaging you would have definitely called you up had it been sooo urgent.
Enjoy the moment you are living NOW! It won't be there again!
Now is the time to RECONNECT with the people that are actually PRESENT and crave for your PRESENCE!
Put your cells away!
There is a suggestion for those busy bees who are really busy "If its an important task and you cannot afford to take leave of your cell then.... important then define a specific time or allocate a separate hour for it which everyone at home knows is your working or googling or whatsapping or chatting or whatever you wanna name it , time !
But..once its done...please put your cells away !!!
This is last part of my earlier post
I loVvve my Cell ... ( Part one ) click on the following link to read it :)
http://bettertheme.blogspot.com/2013/11/i-lovvve-my-cell-part-one.html
Stay blessed,stay happy and don't forget to leave a comment
when you pass by :)
Thanks for reading :)
love
Aqs
Hameed
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