I was out shopping the other day, and I couldn’t help but be overwhelmed by the sheer number of people who were oblivious to those around them: both people and things. And they were oblivious because they were talking on their phone or texting.
Now I’m not talking about slightly unaware. I’m talking COMPLETELY OBLIVIOUS!
There was a study done on a college campus in the States where they sent a clown on a unicycle out on campus. The clown wove in and out of the people walking the campus.
When people were asked after if they’d noticed anything out of the ordinary, those who’d been on cell phones had NO awareness of the unicycling clown. Didn’t see him at all.
I experienced this personally while shopping. People stopped in the middle of aisles, in the entryway of the grocery store, blocking displays…all on their phones or texting away. Even a polite “excuse me” was completely ignored.
That got me to thinking…are we invisible to others who are too busy in their own little worlds to even notice us? Are people so consumed by the mobile devices and technology in their hands and held at their ears that they no longer “see” things?
I had to wonder, as these people walked and talked, why they were even in the store. They weren’t paying any attention to the products on the shelves. They weren’t paying attention to any of the signage. They certainly weren’t paying attention to human beings.
It boggles my mind and makes me sad to think of all the things these people are missing in the world around them. Lift your heads up people, and experience all that is happening around you. Otherwise this might just be what you look like in future.
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