I guess more than half my readers have just rolled their eyes over this posts title and I know that in many aspects this is a trivial topic,but since it bugs me whenever I board a plane I decided to write about it.
First I would like to confess that I am the first one being "addicted" to my smart phone. I am constantly texting, checking facebook or twitter, listening to music or playing those silly little games. So yes I am one of those people who get cranky when the run out of battery and constantly need to check for messages. I am not proud of it, but I admit it. So I do get the need of using the phone.
That being said I have to say: I truly want to slap people who don't follow the stewardess' in the plane to turn of their phones. I mean seriously: What are you guys thinking?
Trust me the airline is not asking you to turn of the phones to piss you off. They are actually doing this to protect us, because the cell phones can screw up the instruments. It might not cause the plane to crash but it can cause it trouble. I am sure 1 or 2 phones might not do anything but imagine every passenger leaving it on. That would make dozens, if not over 100 phones. What do you think that can do to a plane's instruments?
So I just wonder why people don't turn it off? Is is really that difficult to turn it off for a few hours? Are those people not aware, that they are actually on the plane they are endangering by not being able to turn off the phone for a few hours? If you ask me, I would rather turn off my phone than having it screw up the instruments even by one faint bit, because after all this could be decisive.
I know this rant seems to be out of proportion, but what bugs me most is that I don't understand it. The gain over the potential risk seems ridiculous in comparison. Can anybody really be that dependant on the phone that they would endanger lives for it? Are those people getting a nervous breakdown if they run out of battery or don't have a signal?
It was barely 20 years ago that almost nobody had a cell phone. I can remember that time still pretty good, when only overly self-important people would have one and where having a steady phone in your car was the peak of luxury. Guess what: The world didn't end back then! People used to call each other from a land line or meet up instead of texting.
So please next time you board a plane and the stewardess instructs you to turn off the phone and you are about to ignore her ask yourself: Is it worth it? Keep in mind that by leaving the phone on you are making the first tiny step to get the plane to crash and it is more.
If you are letting a tiny black box rule your life like ths, don't you think you should reconsider some things? I for my part have decided to turn it off at least 3 h a day and guess what: It feels great!
