Neck Pain & Mobile Phones

Recently on a trip to the market I was nearly knocked over by someone walking by. After I regained my balance I commented to the gentleman...“不好意思”（bu hao yi si- Mandarin for Excuse me). Naturally as I expected I was given no comment or even a second glance from the man who just couldn't take is eyes of his phone. This is a problem with society that is spreading in all corners of the world. People are so caught up with their phones and mobile lifestyles that no one is experiencing the world around them. I'll admit that I too have issues with how much I tend to use my phone walking on the streets or waiting for the subway. However, I still try to limit the whole "Walk N' Text." This can just cause problems.

After being bumped into that afternoon I began keeping track of how many times I was nudged or almost knocked over because someone using their phone was NOT paying attention. By the end of one week I was at about 54 people. Granted people who live in cities tend to not care and nudge their way through crowds, but this number is strictly those who were on phones doing a "walk n' text" style maneuver. With my brain so focused on this topic I started to notice the funniest and oddest things. The list of examples is staggering.

Example one. While waiting for the subway train to arrive I noticed 16 people around me and 1 child no more than 8 years old. All of these people were staring blankly down into the screens of their phones. Some were watching movies, writing emails, chatting about the evenings possible events or just playing games. Once on the train the number of people nose deep into their phones was insane. Everyone from young kids to old 70+ adults tapping away on their phones. As 5 minutes went by I thought about how things were before phones, before we were all so closely connected. Before I knew it I too was now nose deep in my phone reading wikipedia pages about the invention of mobile phones.

Now I have been trying my best to limit the mobile phone activity while walking the streets. I can be quite busy with games, emails, and messages as well. However, Now I am trying to take the time to enjoy the music in my ears and take a moment.  "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."