In 2017 I was struck by how students at the universitywhere I teach were often ignoring personal contact(s) while focused solely on their phones. One particular incident led me to craft a short piece for The Drabble website – which challenges authors to submit stories of 100 words or less. They accepted it and published it. The content is below, along with a direct link to the site:
Lives Short-Circuited by The Screen
It’s a rainy Wednesday afternoon at the university where I teach. As I enter the vestibule of a building, 12 students stand inside waiting for a bus. No one is talking. All have their heads stooped forward, gazing at smart phones. I think to myself: How many chance encounters, conversations are being missed? How many potential relationships, perhaps marriages, won’t start? How many children might not ever be born because potential parents are studying social media or email instead of passing the time making small talk with the man or woman next to them? I glide through, unnoticed.
—–
Link to original posting.
