The road junction at Lawes Bridge in Torquay is a scary
place. I say scary because the proliferation of traffic lanes, traffic lights,
confused traffic, wailing ambulances and environmental distractions can muddle
the mind. As a pedestrian crossing that
junction is, or so it seems to me, a case of literally taking your life in your
hands as you place trust in the sanctity of the ‘little green man’! The fact
that both the hospital and the cemetery form part of the local landscape should
sharpen the mind but sadly that isn’t always the case.
The other day I found myself in a queue of traffic waiting
for the lights to change. A girl walking down from the hospital caught my eye
because her behaviour seemed a little erratic. It soon became obvious that she
was chatting away on her mobile phone and the conversation appeared somewhat
heated. Then horror of horrors she started to cross the busy Newton Road
without a moment of hesitation at the kerb! This reckless behaviour should have
ended very badly but it didn’t. Like some modern Maid Moses she cut a path
through the braking traffic and crossed to the ‘promised land’ on the other
side quite oblivious of the shocked faces around her.
Some days later I listened to the angry sounding of a car
horn via my daughter’s mobile phone as she crossed a busy road in London on her
way to work. She too was chatting away whilst crossing a road and had not taken
note of a busy filter lane. Quite shocking for me as it brought back the
picture of my ‘Maid Moses’ crossing the Newton Road and gave it a curious more
personal twist. Hearing a loved one in harm’s way via a mobile phone is
stressful for any parent.
The invasive use of mobile phones and other smart mobile devices
has started to interest me. I would suggest that you might want to share that
interest. Just spare a little time looking at the amount of time you spend
‘surfing the net’ or simply chatting to friends and acquaintances via a mobile
phone. Walking down Union Street in
Torquay the other day I noticed a couple of motorist’s texting away on their
phones whilst driving slowly in heavy traffic. Can you text and drive safely? I
don’t think so and that is probably why it is illegal! At the same time numerous
fellow pedestrians were chatting away on hands free mobile phones giving the
impression that the village idiot was on a shopping trip and nattering madly to
himself.
For me too many hours are now lost staring myopically into
my computer screen or iPad whilst drifting endlessly through cyberspace. What
is sad for me is the level of distraction. I might have something specific in
mind when I start the cyberspace journey but too often something catches my
attention and I head down some remotely interesting path and become totally lost.
It is often with surprise that I suddenly find myself in a curiously dislocated
world without any idea as to how I got there! That isn’t always a bad thing
because I often add to the eclectic collection of interesting things that lurk
in my dysfunctional mind!
For those who follow my ramblings you will be aware of my
constant message about the importance of community life. Too often in these
busy times people walk the streets oblivious to those around them whilst gazing
at or playing with mobile devices. You could argue that this is the nature of
modern community and that we are all in touch with each other but I don’t think
that is the case. The other day whilst
enjoying a meal at TJ’s Restaurant on Paignton’s lovely little harbour I
watched a group of four friends sitting at a table in silence whilst all tapped
away on their smart phones. Does that
matter? Well I think that it does because it gives the impression of a shared
experience in real time without actually sharing. We must use the Internet and
mobile communication devices as tools rather than becoming a slave to these
invasive time thieves.
Councillor Alison Hernandez has recently championed a rather
interesting series of events that mix cyberspace with a shared community experience.
She and a number of friends have created something called the Torbay Social
Media Café. This a is useful event for
those who want to learn more about modern communication and still meet at easy
to reach venues like Dot’s Pantry in Union Street Torquay. This seems to me a
way of embracing the virtual and the real by being part of the community rather
than mindlessly tapping endless keystrokes on a mobile!
Keep the smile.
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