Sudden Awareness

Recently I switched cell phones. I went from my iPhone to an old Motorola Razr.

I’ve been meaning to do this for a long time now, but I was too distracted. Why?

Because of the iPhone. The iPhone inadvertently made me anxious and upset and worried all the time. I think it happens to most people with the phone. You know, the whole “What is the world doing?” thing that makes the not pay attention to their real lives and all that? You know. And I know and I’ve known.

Anyway, without it I feel a lot better. I feel like I’m actually in a simpler time. All the things about the iPhone I’ve preached about and am preaching about (like its distracting capability) are out the window. Having a phone that only calls and texts has boosted my creativity and happiness by catapulting me into awareness and attentiveness.

Today I stood outside and thought of something to write about. In the past I would’ve put it in the Notes app and would have ignored it for a long time. Today, I rushed to my car from where I was, rushed home, and rushed to the computer to write it. I think I wanted to and was capable of doing this with a different device in my pocket. It just wasn’t easy to let the idea go. It was easy to let an idea go with a best friend phone. The listener. The documenter.

It’s different, man. I talk to people in person primarily. I ask somebody what something means or what something is instead of looking it up, and the human interaction helps the retention of that thing. I feel more able to focus. My head is clear and my head is mad. I am having real thoughts that stay thoughts. I get to live with those a little more.

There’s no application or game or network or camera filter for that.

There’s none of that on a screen. There’s none of that looking down.

You have to look up.