As David Foster Wallace said, “Embrace the boredom”.

Last week, while visiting with Clive, I started counting the people who were out and about but totally occupied with their phones. Eight out of ten, I counted. What a sight!

Whenever kids tell me they’re bored I tell them that’s a good sign because boredom is what happens right before you think of something interesting to do.

I was watching an oldie movie the other day and was reminded of a time when we used to just sit and think. It looked strange to see the actor planted on a chair staring into space. He was probably having deep thoughts about his marriage and whether or not he should move to Paris. This is when big decisions are made, and you can be sure about them because you’ve thought them through. How can you think when you’re constantly bombarded with memes?

I don’t even understand how kids can be depressed. How do they know? Every moment they could be taking stock of their feelings is spent scrolling through other people’s lives. Depression sucks, but not experiencing your own life is worse.

Out for a walk with Clive, and continuing my research about phone zombies, I got an alert that said I had some new emails.  I switched the phone off because I cringed at the thought of Clive remembering me, an old woman, staring at my phone, while walking with him.

This dread is nature’s way of telling us Einstein was right. Let’s stop ogling billions of strangers doing nothing and get our lives back. Great idea, now, how do I communicate this?