I’m a car guy.
One of the underrated pleasures in life used to be this: you drive somewhere, pull into a gas station, step out, grab a drink, pump the gas, take a breath. No urgency. No noise. Just a tiny pause.
At least that’s how it used to be.
Now you can’t even pump gas without Maria Menounos giving you life advice from a screen bolted to the pump.
I’m standing there with the nozzle in my hand and suddenly Slater from Saved by the Bell is interviewing some country singer I’ve never heard of while I’m trying to buy unleaded.
In the rare moment I actually put my phone down… in the outside chance I decide to just be a human being for ninety seconds…
Nope.
Gas pump screen.
There’s a screen in the grocery checkout.
There’s a screen in the elevator.
There’s a screen in the Uber.
There’s a screen at the dentist.
We have screens at our clinics.
What’s next? A screen in the bathroom stall giving you productivity tips while you’re taking a shit?
Listen, I’m not pretending I’m above it.
My business runs through my phone. My calendar runs through my phone. I’m as plugged in as the next guy.
But every once in a while, I just want to talk to my kid in the back seat without some algorithm fighting for attention.
I want to laugh with them while they’re strapped into their car seat.
I want to pump gas in peace.
I want to ask the clerk at Target how their day’s going without being force-fed “engagement” in the background.
Maybe we don’t need content for every idle second of existence.
Maybe we can survive a little silence.
So yeah. I’ll still use my phone. I’m not moving to a cabin.
But every once in a while, I’m giving the screens the bird.
Just some advice my wife taught me.
And I’d recommend you try it too.
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