An Open Letter to You on the Cellphone ... Yes You!

An open letter to you on the cell phone. Yes! I am looking at you!

I’m looking at you sir! The man that walks into a store and stands in front of an employee as you continue your conversation! Do you need assistance? Well why don’t you get off the phone and ask for it?

I’m looking at you ma’am who doesn’t seem to understand volume control in a public setting. I do not need to hear about your relative’s horrendous body odor or anything equally as disgusting.

And of course who could forget you? The salesman that feels the need to take personal calls while he asks me to lie out thousands upon thousands of dollars for a product. My time is important too and I don’t need to hear about your “crazy” ex-wife.

We live in the age of technology, information literally at our fingertips, but what has that done to common courtesy? When I was in college I was told once that if I’m ever walking into an office, a store, a place of business where I am going to ask for help I should NEVER be on the phone. I took that to heart and I abide by simple courtesy.

If I’m going to ask someone for help they deserve my full attention; their time is just as valuable as mine and as a fellow human being they deserve my undivided attention. The same goes for anyone that walks into my job and asks me for assistance. I will NOT compete with whomever is on the other end of that phone call. My time and my job are important just as important as yours.

Cell phones have become a force field, the cone of silence if you will; they almost give people the right to tune out to the world around them. Let me tell you it’s rude! I understand the need to be able to communicate at any given moment but there is no need to tune out the world around you. I mean let’s face it you tune out the world around you there’s just as much of chance of you walking into a person as there is walking in front of a moving car.

How difficult is it to stay outside for an extra sixty seconds to finish a phone call? How hard is it to let a call roll to voicemail every once in a while? It’s there for a reason.

Time for a little manners folks, we’re all capable of them.