Cell Phone Safety

I am having a love-hate relationship with my cell phone.  Somehow, I don’t think I am alone.  While there is no question that cell phones are literally life-savers, they are also  murderers  and that scares me, terribly.

Why does progress have to take us so many steps backwards?  I have an iPhone and I love the convenience it affords me.  Though I am sure I will never use most of the apps, I do enjoy being able to get my emails while away from home.  What I don’t enjoy is the way our society now demands INSTANT response from everyone.  I often think back to just over 10 years ago when I could escape to the park and run miles without any connection to the outside world.  Now, if I choose to leave my phone behind, I feel uncomfortable.  What if someone NEEDS to reach me?  Or what if I NEED to reach someone?  Won’t I feel silly without my phone?  And of course, the phone is also an iPod so why would I go running without it?  But then how do I just listen to the music and ignore the incoming phone call??  It’s a dilemma.

Then, just this morning, I got an interesting article about the possible dangers to our health from using cell phones.  Since they have only been really popular for about a decade, and it can take at least that long for cancers to show up, we really, really don’t know.  Studies clearly contradict one another and the experts continue to argue the possibilities.  The article does suggest that we use the speaker, a wire or a bluetooth device.  Because I am hearing impaired in one ear, I can’t seem to get comfortable with the bluetooth and though it is minimal, there is still some radiation emitted from those.  Additionally, many people keep the ear piece in for hours on end, which can’t be good either (and looks really silly, in my opinion).

And anyone that watches Oprah this season knows she is on a mission to stop “distracted driving.”  I have watched the heart-wrenching, videos of people that have been killed as a result of a distracted driver.  Children riding bicycles just feet from their front doors, run over and killed by someone texting.  How can anyone watch those clips and still choose to be distracted?  The gorgeous Nate Berkus, who took the pledge to NOT talk or text while driving made a really impactful observation and statement.  He said he had to revamp his daily schedule as he used to say to people “let me call you when I get in my car so I won’t have any distractions.”  THINK ABOUT THAT STATEMENT!  I know I have been and continue to.

For me to feel fit and be at peace, I have to be comfortable with my body,  my mind and my soul.   All three  are struggling with where the technology revolution has brought us.  Though I have not been able to commit to NEVER talking on the phone while driving, I am glad that the iPhone actually makes it too difficult to text.  Since pondering the pledge, I have cut back my phone minutes A LOT!  The way I see it, what’s good for the health and well-being of those around me, is equally as good for my own health and well-being.

Thanks for letting me think out loud this morning and stretch a bit beyond the obvious peace and fitness topics.  I hope that you will give some thought to this issue and perhaps make some adjustments to your own cell phone habits.   In my humble opinion, both the short and long term effects of cutting back, can only be positive and just might save a life.