The new killer : Mobile Phone
There is no denying that with the use of smartphones becoming commonplace, this form of multitasking is slowly becoming second nature. It may appear to be innocuous, but is it?
I could have written some boring article copying drawbacks on use of mobile phones while on your way and could have done a fabulous job. But I didn’t want to let this serious topic become just one of the other articles. So here’s a story. Sit back and tighten your belt.
Before I started writing this piece, I was wandering on my terrace after a hearty dinner. While I gazed towards stars, my focus shifted to a boy standing in the middle of the road and using a phone. He had his earphones on. It was around nine, and the road still had some movements, but they were not enough to bother that boy. He was lost in his virtual world behind the cover of blue light and earplugs to his senses.
As I was observing this very closely, the memory of that day flashed in front of my eyes.
It was a fine evening before it turned darker. I was going to have dinner when my phone rang.
“Everything is lost now. We lost our world.”, he cried. I was bewildered.
“Who’s this?”
“I am the father of..”, he sobbed,” I am the father of Mithilesh. We lost our son.”, his voice broke.
My brain stuttered for a moment, and my eyes took in more light than I had expected. Every part of me went on pause while my thoughts caught up. After a wash of cold, I stepped from the shadows to the evening light and only managed to reply,” I am coming there.” I asked for the name of the hospital and rushed without any second thoughts.
Mithilesh was the youngest worker in our workshop. He was proficient talents and was very trainable. His demise was not acceptable to me as he was very young to become one of the stars.
On reaching the hospital, I looked for his parent. Broken into million pieces, the mother was crying her eyes out in one of the corners of the corridor. The father dashed in me as he saw me. Tears rolled down his cheeks.
“Why us? We had only him, and he took him also.”
I never had faced such a thing before and didn’t know how to console him. I kept my words to myself and embraced him.
Later, When we finished the formalities to take over the body, Mithilesh’s brother and his sister-in-law joined us. We took the body to a cemetery to proceed with the last rites. Relatives and Neighbours joined us there and helped the family through this tough time. I was relaxed to see such caring neighbours. While everyone was busy preparing for the last rites, I heard people talking about an accident. I joined them. I didn’t know the cause of death until one of the neighbours told me about an accident.
“ It was around 8, and Mithilesh was coming home from the workshop. He had his earphones on and was drowned in the screen of his phone. There was a minitruck parked on the corner of his street. When Mithilesh turned into the street, at the same time, that minitruck took a reverse gear. He pressed the horn, but since Mithiliesh had his earphones on and was not aware of his surrounding, the minitruck ran over him.” He gasped. He had witnessed the whole event and was horrified.
I was stunned. I always thought phones to be a friend to people but never had imagined it becoming a foe.
Mithilesh was a very talented young boy. He could have achieved a lot in his life. The habit of using a phone on the roads or busy places took the soul out of his charming and small family, destroyed their dreams and took their only son.
My thoughts were interrupted when my mother called me. I looked for that boy, but he was already gone. I sighed and prayed to God to always bless people with long life.
How uncommon are such mobile phone-induced distractions? When was the last time you walked down a staircase or strolled on a street while texting someone from your phone? How often do you check your phone’s notifications while driving?
Many may even recollect instances when they (almost) bumped into someone on the road or at a shopping complex because they were walking absentmindedly while operating their phones.
With mobile phones armed with the latest technology, multitasking is becoming our second nature, be it while walking, driving or climbing down a staircase. This behaviour may appear to be harmless. But with the time and losses, we have learned that it is not.
Ask yourself!
For no-story-believers: https://www.statista.com/statistics/708293/accidents-due-to-mobile-phone-use-among-car-drivers-india/
