Cyborgs

No this isn't a post about Star Trek, although it does have a certain connection. A pet peeve of mine of late is seeing people walking around with those cell phone devices on their ears. One of my good friends has one of these, and so I won't be too critical, but seriously, what the hell are you trying to prove by wearing one of these?

I understand that from a safety perspective, having one of these for the car is perhaps a good idea; however, a more reasonable safety decision would be NOT to talk while driving period. But how lazy can a person be not to be able to hold up a phone next to their ears, and instead parade around in public with a technical device, resembling an electronic mind control device? Whenever I see one of these people all I can think of is: "controlled mind".

I was listening to a talk given by Imam Zaid Shakir. He was commenting on the loss of private space. We have not changed dramatically at a sociological level to justify the amount we use our cell phones. Gone is our alone time. Gone is the "ghaib" or the unseen. We now find ourselves constantly in conversation with other people about frivolous, useless matters. Interconnected, online, all the time.

The "indispensibility" of a cell phone was one of the greatest marketing strategies of all time. Think of how many people, including myself, have bought on to this. How many of us give our montly dues of $30+ a month? Think about it. In the average house, there is one cell phone per person, plus a land line. In a family of 5 that's $150 a month simply for a cell phone! Oh and then the hidden costs...don't get me started on the "hidden costs".

I don't know how this turned into a rant about cell phones, but bottom line: Those earpieces? They've got to go. They're SO NOT COOL!