Cell Phones and Such

This is my cell phone.  I like my cell phone, but I certainly don't love it.  In fact, there are times when I kind of hate it (like when St. Luke's calls at 6:00 in the morning, asking me if I want to work some extra hours.)  I also wonder if, as a society, we've made much progress at all by having cell phones.  I'm frustrated when I see people using them at church, at work, and even in social situations.  I've watched people text in sacrament meeting, browse the web in Sunday School, check their e-mail while taking care of a patient, and, most mystifying to me, text someone else when they are already at a party, on a date, or talking with friends.  This is progress?! 

The irony of the situation is quite amusing but also a little troubling to me.  Cell phones certainly do allow us to connect with each other more easily and are invaluable in the case of an emergency.  However, are we really more connected?  I fear that we may be forgetting some important social graces--giving someone your full attention when you are with them, learning how to carry on a meaningful conversation, giving the speakers and teachers at church the attention they deserve, and focusing fully on the task at hand (i.e., work and driving.)  

I also think the immediacy of being able to get in contact with someone can make us lazy planners (or non-planners).  In the olden days, when I was a teenager and when dinosaurs roamed the earth, one actually had to plan ahead to get together with a date or with friends, rather than just calling or texting and trying to get together on the fly.  Anyway, I don't want to trash cell phones completely.  I just want to make sure I use mine to my benefit and teach my children to do the same.  It reminds me of the internet in that its use can make life so much easier but that it isn't perfect and can have some bad outcomes if we're not careful.  Just some food for thought. . .

I've been thinking about other technological advances lately.  I've had occasion to go the NICU quite frequently at work recently, and I've been amazed at the work that is done there to help preemies and micro-preemies grow strong and healthy.  Wow!  Sometimes when I'm with a patient as they visit their baby for the first time, I just stand and look at everything that's been invented and developed to preserve and improve lives, and I feel awed and grateful.  (Disclaimer:  The above picture was pulled from the web and doesn't represent our hospital or any baby I've helped to deliver.)

On a completely different note, I've enjoyed what few parts I've been able to watch of March Madness.  (Next year, I will try to plan ahead and ask to work on days when games are not being played.  I just missed out on way too much fun this year.)  As usual, I am rooting for Duke, and I'm happy that they actually made it a little farther into the tournament than they have in recent years.  Unfortunately, I didn't get to see either of their games. 

I read in the paper this morning that cheering for Duke is kind of like rooting for IBM.  While I agree that it's easy to pull for a team that is usually quite successful, there are some specific reasons I root for Duke.  First, their team always has such solid fundamentals.  I love to watch basketball played like I think it's supposed to be played.  I've just never been a big fan of the most athletic, run-and-gun teams, which may explain my distaste for the NBA.  Second, Duke players seem to go on and do good things with their lives.  Some play in the NBA, some coach, and some leave basketball altogether.  However, it's rare that you hear of a Duke player being arrested or doing some other heinous act.  Coach K must be teaching them something about living right.

I was also pleased to read in the paper about ten days ago the following statistic:  Of the number one seeds in this year's tournament, Duke's graduation rate was highest at 92 percent.  Kansas was at 73 percent, Syracuse was at 55 percent, and Kentucky was at 31 percent.  (I have to give a shout out to BYU whose graduation rate was highest of all 65 teams--hooray for the Cougars!!)  Maryland's was lowest at 8 percent--OUCH!  Anyway, even though I get made fun of sometimes for cheering for the Blue Devils, I'll keep doing it. . . and hoping that they can make it back to the Final Four.