From the Melanated Man:

The signal in my IPhone went out on me all of sudden last week. And to be honest I wasn’t that upset about it.

Here are three of my reasons WHY.

1. I’ve come to the realization that Apple makes some CHEAP ASS phones and their customer service, especially at the Apple Store, feels like I’m rolling through the assembly line; so I won’t be missing much from the MONOTONOUS fruit company.

2. I was beginning to not use my phone for everything it was built to do over the last couple of months, ceasing useless Internet browsing and gaming activities for example; I was only having my standard daily conversations through talk n’ text.

Sounds boring, huh?

Plus, *considering that cellphones have been ALLEGED to cause incidents of cancer and other physical ailments, I can only imagine what smartphones can do to you, BLACK MAN/WOMAN, with more ticks and bells added to it, which leads me to…

3. Besides the fact I’m NOT eligible for an upgrade for over FOUR months with my service provider, it gives me the opportunity to make good on a secret low-key goal I’ve had in the past 6 months: ditching my smartphone and going BACK to the BASICS…the basic flip phone.

I know, right?! I’m becoming too extreme for my own good TOO fast. But here me out…

(Note: By the time this post is published, I would have received my flip phone.)

I’m contemplating all the things I WON’T miss with the smartphone (“I’ll take sucky battery life for $500, Alex”) and I haven’t thought about the ONE THING I will miss the most: the GPS app!

For the followers not familiar with my background, I used to collect highway and city maps as a child and would read them all the time. It was my thing. I wanted to know where I was going and how to get there. And family would ALWAYS ask me for directions because of it; sometimes I felt like they were being funny because the questions seemed trivial (sorry, fam!) but nevertheless it gave me a small sense of purpose. Also, I’ve ALWAYS had this keen sense of direction whether I knew how to get to my destination or NOT.

So I RARELY got lost. Knowing the road and being on the road…it was my special comfort zone.

With the death of my IPhone, I’m beginning to realize how RUSTY I am with my SIXTH SENSE OF DIRECTION, and how DEPENDENT I became with the GPS.

I didn’t have to THINK! I lost CONSCIOUSNESS concerning my ability to discern directions.

Oh, how technology has PUT US TO SLEEP!

When the day comes when technology is made moot and UNAVAILABLE, and *that day may come sooner that we think.

Another post for another day.

But anyway, I have an opportunity to dust off my maps (actually BUY some new, up-to-date maps), and begin to use the SIXTH SENSE again like back in the old days. Start to pay more attention to street names and the surroundings again. Instead of depending on a EXTERNAL DEVICE for assistance, I will use this noggin of mine AND my maps if need be as my guide…

Or I can just print off directions before I leave the house.  Or invest in a TOMTOM GPS system (do they still make those?)

Sounds like I’m still depending on TECHNOLOGY to do the job?

“Look, ALL TECHNOLOGY is not bad, man.”

I’m sure it’s not, but with ALL relationships, there’s going to be GIVE and TAKE.

Take the TECHNOLOGY, give up your INNATE abilities.

Can’t think for SELF.

 

So…HOW MUCH TECHNOLOGY IS TOO MUCH?

Think about it.

 

Peace and Love to my melanated family,

The Melanated Man

 

*Future post