JUST MY OPINION: Stay Calm

calm: /kä(l)m/ adjective

by Lon Levin

“ Rushing into action, you fail. Trying to grasp things, you lose them. Forcing a project to completion,you ruin what was almost ripe. Therefore the Master takes action by letting things take their course. He remains as calm at the end as at the beginning.” - Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

Are you feeling me? I cannot leave my house without my iPhone. I find it unnerving to not know that my phone is charged and safely in my pocket. In fact I’m more concerned about that than brushing my teeth or brushing my hair. So many of us have grown dependent on these handheld devices—perhaps even addicted. We’re not be alone, thank God: a Stanford University survey administered to 200 college students claims just that.

On a scale of one to five, where five is full blown addiction and one is not addicted at all, 10 percent of the respondents ranked themselves as a five, 34 percent a four, and only 6 percent were a one. That’s okay, but 32 percent of the people who said they weren’t completely addicted said that they worry they may someday walk among the iPhone addicted.

Among those surveyed, I can sympathize with the 85% who use the phone as their watch, and even the 89% who use it as an alarm clock. Those jungle chimes, that righteous guitar riff? Much more peaceful than the blaring sound of any alarm clock I’ve owned. As for the 75% who fell asleep with the phone and the 69% who were more likely to leave their wallet behind? I’ve done both, and just the other day! And the 15 percent who claimed the iPhone was turning them into media addicts? Well, it’s easier than ever to watch news videos, play music, games and to turn yourself into your own social media PR agent!, so why not?

But then you get to the part where students talk about how the iPhone is like an extension of their bodies, and it starts getting a little looney. A startling 41 percent said that losing their mass-produced iPhone would be tragic, while 30% hailed the device as a “doorway into the world.” WHAT?? And 25% thought the phone was “dangerously alluring,” which is perhaps why 7% had a roommate or a partner that felt abandoned by the device’s constant use. Then you get to the affection that a curious minority feels for their iPhones: 9% have patted their iPhone; 3 % claim that they don’t let anybody touch their iPhone; 3% have named their iPhone; 8% even thought their other devices were jealous of their iPhone. Truly, the pet rock of old has some real competition these days.

The survey’s administrator doesn’t think that it’s an unhealthy addiction; the article points out that it’s still left to question whether or not addiction to personal electronics even qualifies as a mental disorder. Seriously?? Rather, it’s just that these students really like their iPhones. With 70% claiming that the iPhone has made them more organized, 54% claiming that it made them more productive, and 74% claiming that it made them feel cool, it seems as though it might be a net positive effect.

Look, who am I to pass judgement? I use my iPhone for so many things and I do think it makes life easier and more efficient. Now if I could just train my phone to walk my dogs my life would be complete!