Being a commuter in California such as I am, I had to get a Bluetooth for my cell phone. And this is all good. I understand why the law passed. And for the most part I agree with it. However, I have to say that it may not be such a great idea for me.
Here's why:
A. I can't usually find it. Which means I spend many 75-mph minutes searching through my purse for the Bluetooth headset.
B. Upon locating it, I have to sync it to my phone. Sometimes I don't press the button long enough.
C. Once sync'd I have to insert it in my ear. This requires a decision--left or right ear? I have to turn the ear insert a specific direction according to which ear I choose. This also requires a lot of work because I have to consciously think which side is left or right. This isn't something that I intuitively know. So I look at my hand that has the wedding band and I remember. Sometimes I have to sort of lift the hand up and shake it a bit to remind myself. Hands free, whee! I blame it on the testing in Kindergarten when my wonderful kindergarten teacher said, "Okay Jennifer, now which hand is your left hand?" And I guessed. And I was right. And no further teaching was needed.
D. Once it's done I'm talking happily to my husband. I realize that since I now have my hands free, I can talk with my hands! Or I can eat.
Hubby says that because of people like me they will soon outlaw eating while driving. This might be true. I can imagine the new law stating something like, "You can only eat if you have a very long straw connected to said food." Or, "You can only eat if you have spork connectivity." That bites.
Listen, I'm not the best driver. I don't play or pretend that I am. I'm far too distracted by shiny cars or billboards. I've never had an accident :::knocking on wood::: but I know my limitations all too well. So if you make me conform to a "tool" that is foreign to my senses, such as an ear insert (I hate crap in my ears. I hate headsets. All of which wig me out.) it will bother me relentlessly or I'll adapt by distracting myself with other things...like cookies.
The thing is, as a society we are too busy. We are doing a million things at once on our way to our meditation or yoga session. We are not fully present in our bodies. Some people are, the majority are not. So what happens is that you free up one hand from holding a cellphone and it will find something else to do...play with the MP3 player, punctuate its owner's talking, feed food to the mouth. The problem isn't cellphones, it's the distractability I suffer from as well as most of society. We (and I am including myself wholeheartedly in this statement) need to learn to be present. To do one thing at a time and not equate single-tasking with simple-mindedness. To perhaps, put the Bluetooth in my ear as I am rushing to my car, knowing that I'll probably find a reason to call *someone* while driving and will need it. But that is harder to pass on a ballot or among congressional leaders. And I don't see the majority of society having enough willpower to slow down on their own. Because being crazy-busy is an addiction. There's a buzz of adrenaline that goes with it.
So, in the meantime, I suggest we all get ready for spork connectivity.
