Walk straight ahead with your head up, not with your head down

I own an iPhone. I think it is great. It is amazing what you can do on it.

You can:

• Take photos
• Check the weather forecast
• Find your way if you get lost
• Watch a movie
• Check your email
• Place a bet on a horse race
• Find any bit of information that you need
• Message a friend
• Do your social media
• Make a movie
• Check the latest cricket scores
• Book a restaurant 

The list goes on and on and on and on and on. 

I must admit that I use my iPhone a lot and I like looking at it and reading about the latest news. Today I was watching the New Zealand cricket team's game on Youtube. It was streamed live on Youtube. I'm not sure how legal it was but the fact that it was Youtube suggested to me that it was probably OK. 

Isn't that amazing? You are sitting on a train in the middle of Tokyo watching a cricket game on your phone that is being played more than 9000 kilometres away. 

Technology is amazing. 

The one thing though is and I believe this to be a huge negative is that the smartphone has created a great deal of zombies. I don't have a problem with people reading their phones on the train. What is the difference between doing that and reading a book or a newspaper? Nothing. What I do have a problem with is people who walk slowly holding up people behind them while looking at their phones. 

What is so important on that apparatus that you have to look at it while you are walking and create traffic jam? I bet nothing. 

People say to me often that they are shy and they want to meet people. My first two questions are do you have a smartphone and/or a video game console? 

Invariably the answer is yes and yes. I tell these people that you have to put down the phone and the game controller once in a while and get out of the comfortable chair and get out of the house. Obviously it is not as easy as that as you have to prepare yourself mentally and make a plan on what you are going to do once you leave the house but putting down those two things are a good start. 

I want to clarify one thing, I'm not saying to give up these things, what I am saying is to put them down occasionally and look at people and smile and maybe say hello. I know that sounds difficult and it freaked the hell out of me but it works and do you know what, you become present. You notice things around you and you feel a hell of a lot better. 

OK! Are you ready put that phone down. Look straight ahead get out of the chair and start walking.

If you need the phone to tell you where to go, that is fine but when you need to look at it, you stop walking, step to one side and examine the map and then put it back in your pocket and walk again. Sounds simple right? It is but it takes a lot of discipline and I'm sure you have the discipline.