Is There an App For That?

OK – I’ll be totally honest here.  I’m not much into new-fangled phones.  I use my phone (an old flip-open 10-key design - here it is in all it's blue splendor!) to make and receive phone calls, and occasionally to leave or listen to messages.  I don’t send or receive texts, I don’t surf, email or play games… and I’ve never “run an App” in my life.  I often forget my phone at home and always turn it off in movies, at meals and in meetings.  If I’m in the waiting room at my local car-fix-it shop and I get a phone call, I’ll step outside to answer it rather than subject everyone in the little space to my conversation.

Now, I’m not some anti-technology guy, and I don’t go around rolling my eyes at those with “the latest and greatest”, but it is something to see a room full of people – and it’s NOT just kids anymore – who are sitting together but all doing their own thing on their phones.  I think it’s funny that one of the phone companies has addressed this in a commercial, but only offers to shorten the time you’re on your phone.  And you all know that if it’s faster and easier, it just means that you’ll do more.

 

So – the phrase “There’s an App for that” is very common, but I think that it’s really important to remember things that there will never be an App for:  Building a birdhouse with your kid; Working a puzzle with your family; Taking a walk on a beautiful spring morning; Playing some fun games with your kids in the backyard on a late summer evening; taking a lazy drive, looking at things and talking about them (or singing silly songs)

I’m sure there are plenty of things that you can add to this list.  The bottom line is let’s be free to use and appreciate the technology we have, but let’s make sure that we don’t sacrifice the things that there will never really be an App for.