Essentials?

I was reading a Yahoo! article today on the 12 worst etiquette mistakes people make in public. I agreed with much of what the authors were stating and it's nice to see writers who are unafraid to point out "bad habits" of the general public (not that I think it will actually CHANGE those bad habits). However, what struck me most about this article was the section on cell phones, AKA "Mobile Madness".

I can not begin to tell you how many times I have been annoyed by cell phones! Perhaps this is exacerbated by not having one myself. It was a pretty common sense blurb about how other people really don't want to know about your hot date last night or the latest family drama/dysfunction, etc. Completely agree! So, bottom line: save it for a more private atmosphere. What captured my attention the most was the statement "Mobile phones are essential". Ummm . . . not quite sure I would give them the same classification. I would describe them as convenient, handy, or useful but I would not say they are vital to life.

Humans have been living for thousands of years without many of our modern conveniences and while I do agree that cell phones can even be life-saving in the event of an emergency, I would NOT label it as essential. Air, food, water . . . yes, all of those are "essential" and necessary to our physiological functioning. But a cell phone???? I guess I may very well die soon as I am 29 and have never owned one. It may just be a matter of time for me, folks! I can feel life slipping away as I type this . . .

The above is a perfect illustration of how backwards our society has become. While I for one would NOT want to give up my indoor plumbing and ability to refrigerate foods, there are many, many cultures and people around the world who survive without them. Where there is a will, there is a way. I will admit we are very spoiled as Americans and yes, I enjoy many of those luxuries. So I am certainly not going to bash my friends who own cell phones (which I think is pretty much ALL of you! ;) ) for enjoying that modern convenience. I will, however, argue that you could live without them.

I think it's long past the time of getting "back to the basics" in our country. Family, friends, a good home life, community . . . these are the basics and what we all thrive on. I hope it does not take our country going completely down the toilet before the majority realizes this and makes appropriate changes. I hope we can all soon re-focus on what is truly essential in life: air, water, food and most importantly, love.