Cell Phones and Manliness

Dear Friends,

I write to you today to address some thoughts I have on cell phones and manliness.  This week i have witnessed time and time again friends of mine putting on cell phone clinics while in the presence of others.  About 80 to 90 % of their eye contact is with their cell phone, they are mastered by whatever has their attention in the world of technology.  It may be a girl or social networks  regardless there is something un-manly about the behavior.  This video below is a very accurate demonstration of how many men and women conduct their days putting their cell phones before their friends and people they may come into contact with in society.

Below is another accurate illustration.

This picture I just love and hope to have this pocket square soon.

Recently I was watching a movie from the 1950's and Humphrey Bogart one of the actors walks into the room commanding a presence that is felt among all the people in the room.  He does not own a cell phone and the people in the room do not either.  His greets people with a simple hello and the women in the room can fell that he is an authentic man who cultivates his life.  Where are the men like Bogart in today's world?  lets say they are almost extinct.  You wouldn't be able to recognize most men today because they lack discipline, self control and the warrior heart.  They have lost heart, instead of taking risks that may benefit others they would rather take no risks and live a belittled passive lifestyle with high dosages of tinder and txting. 

Below are just a few passages i wanted to share with you that relate to this topic:

 "My wife, Grace, was teaching at a women’s event, and so I took the kids to a restaurant. Sitting around us were many other families like us, with one exception. Every single father was either talking on the phone or responding to emails on his Blackberry throughout the meal, not connecting with his children in any way. Sadly, rather than visiting with their kids and having some fun, these daddies allowed their technological gods to rule over them" - Pastor Mark Driscoll

"Cell phones and iPods are items we carry in our hands. We bring them everywhere. They are used when driving, walking, riding a train, even when hanging around our friends. They cause more distraction than anything.Will there come a day when people don’t even need to process verbal language to sustain relationships? It’s vital that we reconnect ourselves with one another through human communication and take a break from screen-staring all day." - Sean Boswell

"Personally, I don’t long to be in the company of people who are constantly connected to someone else. And it’s not just talking to other people on cell phones. Smart phones allow people to be connected to the Internet for sports scores, news and weather updates — all at your fingertips no matter what your social situation" -Mark Glaser via: http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2007/10/how-cell-phones-are-killing-face-to-face-interactions295/

Lastly, I would like to encourage all of you to take a personal inventory and look at your life.  Are there times where you can just leave the cell phone in the glove compartment or just turn it off.  This world although broken still has so much beauty in it.  I fear that we all are letting it pass by.  Some of the most beautiful things come out of ugly situations, don;t miss the beauty that emerges in your life.  
Some more reading on the subject:
Technology is Destroying the Quality of Human Interaction 

Emily Post Cell Phone Manners
Your Cell Phone Is Not Part of Your Body -- You Can Let It Go

God bless,

Brendan J. Micik

Faith Focus Finish