Cell Phones and Common Sense

I admit I was a late bloomer when it comes to cell phones. To me, they were a luxury. I didn't have my first cell phone until a year after I graduated from college..around 2001. This phone had the basics--ability to make calls and text message. None of the sending pictures, accessing the Internet, taking professional camera shots, downloading mp3's, playing sophisticated games, accessing radio stations, spoof apps...no, none of that.

When I first started out, I just wanted something that was easy to use and gave me the amount of minutes I thought I would need. The first company I ended up with gave what seemed to be a good deal, but there were so many hidden fees that I decided to just not have a cell phone for a while until this other company came along, and I've been with them for 10 years strong.

Dang, a lot of relationships don't last that long must less a bond with a wireless phone company...lol.



But that is not what this is about...but it does set up the scenario.

In this day and age, almost everyone in the universe has a cell phone. Last time I checked a phone was for one-on-one use, maybe the occasional 3-way, conference calling, and what not. Cell phones are personal...like one's own personal portal of communication.

I'm going to keep it real:

Unless I am on a stretcher ready to go to the hospital..

Busy driving; don't have my bluetooth and a passenger I TRUST is on the opposite side..

Or during my restaurant management days and I couldn't stop making the food to grab my phone (and it was my BOSS or GRANDPARENTS CALLING)....

I DO NOT PERMIT OTHER PEOPLE TO ANSWER MY CELL PHONE.

THAT IS IT.

END OF DISCUSSION.



Not even my grandparents, when I am visiting them in Mississippi, answer my cell phone. If they see it ring, they will tell me its' ringing. They will not take it upon themselves to answer.

BECAUSE IT IS, I FEEL, DISRESPECTFUL.



And I respect other people's property in the same way. Unless you tell me to pick the phone up for you, I will not move to push a button or even look at the caller ID screen. That is your phone, for your use.

Fast forward to the scenario:

I see that one of my close friends tried to call me a couple of times while I was napping. So when I try to return her call, instead of hearing her voice, some guy picks up the phone. This is highly unusual, since she usually doesn't have anyone else answer, but I ask this guy if I can speak to her.

He not only says that it's not her phone but that I have the wrong number. I keep trying to call the number back but the person who has her phone hangs it up.

I get in touch with her brother and tell him to try. He's not getting an answer, either. So he calls his sister's house and she's not there...she's probably trying to find her phone.

Now, if you have a phone that doesn't belong to you, if you are a honest person, you would either turn it in to the lost and found of the place you found it or call the police to turn it in.

But if you have traces of dishonesty, you would do stuff like...take the phone with you, hang up when important people are trying to call the other person, and say you are going to mail the phone instead of meeting up with people to get the phone back to her.

And since this person was playing phone tag, I was on the verge of turning him in if he didn't cooperate when her mom calls back to let us know that the phone was returned.

The guy who had the phone...his excuse was that his friend was just having a little fun and he didn't think he was going to go as far as he did.   If that is his idea of fun, then it won't be long before he ends up in a jail cell.

Certain stuff should just be common sense. You wouldn't mess with other people's belongings in this way...why would a cell phone be an exception?

The more technology we have, the more careless people are in real life. Every day, this is being revealed as truth.

I am glad that my friend's iPhone was found cause goodness knows it could have been way worse.

Peace.