The Cell Phone   A Convenience or a Trap?   --by Michael Flayhart   Nov06

Picture this scene: You’re in your room working on a school paper, when your cell starts to vibrate. You see that the caller I.D. displays the name of a friend you have at school. You flip the phone open and casually answer, and continue on a conversation that eventually dies out and turns into a series of long pauses. You hang up after you’ve grown bored of the silence, and turn your attention back to your paper. Have you had many conversations similar to this?

The idea for a cellular phone was first born in 1947, and it was planned to be an upgrade from the chorded phones that were inserted into cars, to a mobile device that a person could take anywhere they desired. If you can take yourself back in time, you can obviously see how this new idea greatly excited people, and when the first cellular phone was finally produced in 1979, it was greatly awed by buyers, and it was similar to today’s laptops, the price ranging from three to four-thousand dollars. So, knowing how valuable the cellular phone was considered back in 1979, people treated it with great sensitivity, used for business and emergencies, or as a convenience to reach a person at any given time.

Just the other day I was in a doctor’s office standing in line, and in front of me was a man and his boss. The man had done something to hurt himself and the boss was taking him in to fix it, and when it came his turn in line to sign in, his cell phone started to ring and instead of signing in and calling the person back, he held up the whole line in order to take his call. So I can say from this example that cell phones have even become a rude distraction. Many people also complain about other cell users loudly discussing their personal matters in public places.

Over time we have taken advantage of this convenience, and turned owning a cell phone from a privilege to a right. The respect of using cell phones has almost been lost with a very large amount of teens and even adults. The average age of child receiving a cell phone is 8 years old! Their parents must deal with their bills, and not many children consider what it is costing their parents when they go over the allotted amount of minutes, or when they send text messages to a friend and exceed the limit of text messaging that your plan allows. So the age that parents are giving their children cell phones could actually be hurting the family budget because a child of that age doesn’t yet have the responsibility to handle a cell phone.

I found from research that cell phones can actually be dangerous too! Studies show that 60 percent of radiation that comes from cell phones is absorbed by your head. And phone companies could actually reduce the amount of radiation a phone gives out but are unwilling to do so because it will damage their profits, and it will get people in the know of the fact that phones give off radiation to your head. They are also dangerous with talking on the phone in the car while driving. There are countless studies on how talking on your cell while driving is very dangerous and causes many of today’s wrecks.

Another problem that has developed, is that phone companies try to make the prices sound more pleasing to you then they really are. Up front prices seem reasonable, but then the prices you have to pay if you use a phone irresponsibly can turn disastrous.  

I have explained the problems that have developed over the years since cell phones have been released, so hear are the redeeming qualities and ways for the proper use of a cell phone.

        •  Turning it off:  Know the right times to turn your cell off (e.g. meetings, movies, worship, seminars, etc.)  Switch it to vibrate when you need to take a call but do not wish to disturb others.
        •  Short, Quick, and to the point: When you’re in the company of others, keep your calls short.
        •  Driving: It is not only very dangerous, but also unlawful in most countries to drive & talk on your cell Phone
        •  Cells are a Privilege: Always remember that your cell phone is a convenience and a privilege, don’t make it an idol of your life!

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