Are we too connected?

*****This piece was originally written on May 28, 2010.*****

On Wednesday night, my lovely wife and I deluded ourselves into thinking we still had the stamina to pull off a mid-week all-nighter that was self-imposed, rather than driven by the needs of a sick child or a work-related commitment. We decided to attend the first show of Sex and the City 2, which opened at 12:01 on Thursday morning. It was an anniversary gift to ourselves, since we celebrated ten years of marriage on May 27th. What better way to celebrate than with Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha as they brought us along on their Middle-Eastern sex-capade??

I sat there for hours, patiently waiting to be let into the theater so we could get our favorite seats and marveled at two things. First, we were waiting in line with BABIES!!! The series first aired in 1998, twelve years ago! Some of these young ladies had to be eight years old then! Second, I noticed the cell phones.

Now, I understand the need for a cell phone to some degree; but the way in which these people were using them boggles my mind. I began to wonder, are we *really* connected or are we fragmented into so many different directions that we can't be whole anymore?

There were six young women sitting next to us who were friends and were chatting, but also texting simultaneously. How do they do that? How can they truly enjoy one another's company while texting with someone who wasn't even there? Some of them are so skilled at it that they don't even have to look at the keyboard! And get this; some of them were texting EACH OTHER! What the bleep was I witnessing?!!

I'm all for technology, but only for the benefit, not at the expense, of humanity. I wondered to myself if they had ever in their young lives felt truly present. Completely in the moment, without the distractions of phone calls, text messages, televisions, radios or other endless "noise" coming at them in all directions. I know that I have finally learned to completely unplug when I'm not at work, for fear of not really being present for my family during those rare moments when both Donna and I are at home with the children.

I also know that some of my most treasured moments are when there is nothing but the sound of my babies' (now 8 1/2 and 3 1/2) deep breathing while sleeping. Or the sound of Donna's light snoring as she collapses from a long day at the zoo and hours-long commute. That quiet time, uninterrupted by phones, televisions, music peppered with commercials screaming at you to buy something, is priceless.

I want to propose that we start a new movement in which we not only make our cars "phone free zones" but also a part of every week. I wonder what the collective shift back to ourselves and our immediate relationships will begin? I know I plan on finding out, this weekend!