Case in point....
Earlier this week, I attended a funeral service. Although the occasion was somber, the actual service was quite beautiful. Several speakers shared their fond memories of their departed friend and family member. The speeches were humorous as well as emotional and very touching. The first speech was given by a well-known former member of Congress. Although she was speaking through the church's PA system, her voice was still hard to hear. So, understandably, everyone was trying to concentrate on the pronunciation of her every word. Well, at one point, a cell phone rings. A guy in the next set of pews immediately pulls out his phone and appears to turn it off. Then, about two minutes later, it rings again! This time, the guy stands up and heads towards the exit, in what I'm assuming was a mad dash to answer the phone.
This should have been a reminder to everyone else to check their phone. But, of course that didn't happen. Before long, another phone rang. If there was ever a reason to slap someone silly, this would be right at the top of the list.
Although it didn't happen in this case, I've seen this one play out as well. A guy gets a phone call in the middle of an important event. Instead of just hitting the ignore or mute button, he'll answer the damned thing. And then, He'll make matters worse by going into this song and dance:
"Hey, I'm in the middle of something. Let me call you back.....Right....Gotcha.......OK... No, no, tell them to wait until I call back.....Huh?......No way!........Hey, look, I really gotta go....."
And as the guy realizes that he's become a major distraction, he'll shrug his shoulders and point to his phone as if to blame the person on the other end. Of course, he'll still continue to blabber on:
"Hey look man, I gotta go, people are staring at me.....Seriously, let me call you right back....Yeah, ok.......This is crazy....I know, I know.....Just wait 'til I call back, ok?......Ok, bye."
And then after he finishes and realizes that everyone is staring at him, the guy will say, "Damn, I couldn't get 'em off the phone. Sorry about that."
It's really starting to get ridiculous.. Have we become so dependant on our cell phones that we can't turn them off or leave them in the car for an hour? Will life cease to exist if we are separated from our phones for any length of time?
Back to the guy at the funeral.....
We eventually make our way to the cemetery. Every one is gathered around the casket as military honors are being performed. If you've ever experienced this, you know that it's a very emotional ceremony. So, unbelievably, right in the middle of all this, a cell phone goes off. And can you guess who it belonged to? Yep, that's right, it was the same guy from the church! I couldn't believe it. I felt like grabbing his phone and smashing it over his numb skull. As much as it would have been welcomed, it would have only created even more of a distraction. So, the only thing anyone could do was shoot the guy a dirty look. (But I understand my brother-in-law gave him a well-deserved earful later. Good for him...)
So. the next time that you're attending an "uninterruptible" event, please don't be "that asshole". Do everyone a favor and puh-lease mute your damned cell phone!
kw
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