Two encounters with young men last Friday turned out
to be unfortunate – for me. The first was physically very unpleasant indeed. On
quite a hefty bike, a young guy hurtled around a bend on a walk/cycle path, without a bell and knocked me down. It was so sudden and unexpected that
at first – as I lay sprawled and stunned - it wasn’t clear to me what had
actually happened. The man did apologise and asked if my glasses (or anything
else) were broken. It took a while to get to my feet but on seeing that he was
genuinely sorry I admonished him, told him to watch his speed and shooed him
away so I could sort myself out. I was further down the path and in a daze before
things started to hurt and I realised my elbow was bleeding (through 4 layers)
both my hands were skinned and my knee was bruised and cut. By the time I got
home my shoulder hurt like a devil and I discovered an ugly swelling on my
calf. I assume the bike wheel got me before him and the bike frame.
Before I arrived home, walking slowly and feeling wobbly,
another young man almost collided with me. He had his face in his phone and
both hands tied up with same. In front of him was a small boy on a scooter and
cycling slowly next to him a pretty blonde girl who chatted away to him and was
completely ignored. I avoided him by stepping off the curb. He walked on
oblivious of me or his children. I assume they were his. There was no one else
around. And, as I said, the little girl was talking to him and looking up at
him.
Of the two incidents – even though I’m as sore as
hell and stiff all over have a hole in the elbow of my favourite cardigan and
the knee through a pair of trousers that might have lasted a bit longer – I’d
take situation no.1 any time because – at the end of the day – I do not think
any lasting damage has been done. So,
GET
YOUR FACE OUT OF YOUR PHONE
&
TALK
TO YOUR CHILDREN
Or do them a favour and put them in care.
If
you need science to tell you that constantly prioritising a mobile device or
talking to your child out of the side of your mouth while your face is in that
smartphone is bad for them, then try clicking on this some sciency stuff if common sense aint your thing.
And
that was written before smartphones became completely ubiquitous.
Or
you can just take it from this granny that if you constantly prioritise your
phone over your children - you
shouldn’t have had them…
*
Oh – and – if the future of said children interests you and you've been cheering on Extinction
Rebellion - their street action scenario makes an
uncanny appearance (spoiler alert) at the end of my environmental poetry story Casey & the Surfmen – first drafted a decade and a half ago…