Is it me or has the world gone a little wacko? Alexander Graham Bell had no idea what a Pandora’s box he was opening when he invented the phone Immediately some saw the ability to actually talk to someone miles away as next to miraculous.

I can remember when Southwestern Bell Telephone Company arrived on the local scene. Now there was a small black instrument sitting on the table in the corner that replaced the old crank phone.  We all had been assigned numbers that could be dialed using the round wheel on the face of the phone.  Wow, now the talking piece and the hearing piece were all together in one attachment.  Parents were continually reminding their children this was not a toy.  It was to be used only when completely necessary.  Our number was 2461 and had two short rings followed by one long ring.  Party lines were the normal and one could pick up the phone and listen in on other people’s private phone calls.  Man that was fun if you didn’t get caught.

Visitors came from the big city and we were soon educated and very proficient on the good use of the phone. Neighbors were called only to be asked if their refrigerator was running.  When their answer was rendered we hurriedly replied “you better go catch it before it runs away” then hurriedly hang up. Another favorite was calling the nearby stores to ask if they might have Prince Albert in the can.  This was popular tobacco product.  It they answered yes we would quickly say “you better let him out before he smothers” and again hang up.  Oh, the innocence of youth.

Years have passed and changes have been made. We now have cell phones.  My daughter can be sitting on a park bench with a friend.  Do they talk to each other, no, they text.  Can’t we just talk again?  In the evenings I can see a dim light shining in my kid’s bedrooms.  They hold their phones close and watch a movie.  You tube is a better source of information than I ever could be and newspapers are disappearing.

What happened to using a phone to talk to someone? We can tweet with twitter, chat with messaging, add emoji’s, Facebook with friends, play games, google and Bing, all on the phone.  Why do we call it a phone?  It is seldom used for calling people.  We are losing our skills for talking to people.  Everyone in the world seems to have a camera and is busy recording each other.  Are we not entitled to any privacy any more?  I expect to kiss my wife goodnight and see it tomorrow on you tube.

My employees have trouble working because of all the activity on their phones. They play games when they should be working and some even seem to run a farm.  I can track where my kids are at any time.  Thank goodness my parents couldn’t hound me this way.

I don’t like it, but I am forced to text every day off and on all day. I could answer a phone and give answers or just visit, but no that doesn’t work.  We must text.  How anyone can read a text on the receiving end is beyond me.  That phones think they can spell better that me and know that it has the word I should use, not the one I typed.  I receive messages from my sister and spend the next hour trying to figure out what she is trying to say.  Couldn’t we just talk?

How important has your phone become to you? It seems I can never get away from it.  I awake each morning with my alarm on the phone ringing.  All day I read e-mails and messages.  I even get a phone call once in a while.  At night as I prepare for bed I must remember to plug in my phone so it will be ready for the next day.

Thanks Mr. Bell because of you and your invention I can never get away and enjoy the peace and quiet.

The thoughts and ideas expressed above are exclusively those of Jack Straley. We may agree, and that’s fine, or we may disagree, that’s okay too.  My sole purpose is to encourage others to think, study, and become involved. Exercise your freedom and above all, when presented the opportunity, please vote.