I’m spending the week in southern California, speaking at several middle schools in the area. This week is made even better by the location of the schools, just a short drive from my cousin’s house. It’s nice to finish a day of work and be able to pop over and visit with some of my favorite people in the world.
Last night, my cousins asked if if I wouldn’t mind watching their 7 month old son, Jake, while they went to various even meetings. I was thrilled. Yes, he’s seven months old and yes, there was a heavy bout or two of crying, but when he’s happy, he’s one of the coolest kids ever.
Right before my cousins left, I sat in their backyard on a blanket with Jake. He’s now crawling, and is quite expressive as his little hands touch new textures (grass providing perhaps the funniest reaction).
After a few moments, I took my iPhone out of my pocket just so I could crawl easier. Jake saw it and crawled over to it.
It wasn’t the first iPhone he had ever seen (my cousins are Apple fans like me), but it was fascinating to watch Jake “discover” it. He’d pick it up in a variety of ways. He’d tape the screen or the back side of the case. He’d shake it or touch it against his face. For him, it was an object for him to discover. He’d later do the same thing with his toy drum and his stuffed animal. He was just as fascinated with the iPhone when it was off as when it was on. After a few moments of discovery, he crawled over to a corner of the blanket and played with it, discovery its differences.
I thought about Jake’s reaction to the iPhone in comparison to the people I saw at Disneyland this weekend. I spent two days at “the happiest place on Earth,” and I was blown away by how many people spent the day texting, checking sports scores, playing on facebook, or taking calls. I’m guilty too (I updated my status three times and sent a funny text or two to my siblings), but overall I tried to make a point to not use my phone (really, I recognize I have a bad habit).
And that’s the thing. Our phones have become distractions to our present. People were standing in lines next to friends or family and rather than have conversations, they focused elsewhere. This included eight or nine year olds with phones.
I was blown away by the difference in viewpoint. Young kids would be pushed in strollers captivated by the sites and sounds of Disneyland, a magical place in their eyes, while their parents were busy checking out whether or not their NFL team scored the last touchdown. When did we make this shift? When did we desire to be distracted rather than to discover?
If we make our lives about distraction, we will fail to ever make the discoveries that makes things like the iPhone even possible.
Let’s discover again.