Conquering the Ear: The Blue Tooth

I promised myself I would never tell a story if I had to set it up by saying “so I was standing at a urinal the other day.” Promises are sometimes broken though.

So I was standing at a urinal the other day in the company of one other person. (he was at one of the other urinals, or course)

Now for those of you that don’t often visit the male restroom, you might be missing out on a key aspect.

The male washroom is a place of serenity. Silence is a necessity. It is not a social forum. It is a place for men to do their business and leave without conversing with anyone.

This is why I was surprised when this man beside me (again, at the other urinal) began talking to me. Not only did he begin talking to me; he spoke to me in a different language.

Pardon me for being arrogant, but I couldn’t tell if he was speaking Mandarin or Cantonese.

Nonetheless, I tried to diffuse this awkward situation. I informed him that I didn’t know what he was saying. Then he laughed at me.

He continued to talk as I walked away, confused and befuddled.

We met again though one last time before we exited the washroom. There we were, standing at the sink on opposite sides of each other. I was then exposed to the truth of what just happened.

In his ear was a device. The Bluetooth. A tiny cell phone which dwells just before the inner ear canal.

Not only was he not talking to me at all, but he was talking to the person on the phone while relieving himself.

A few months later, I was standing at one of the vending machines in the south Atrium of Guelph-Humber. I was getting a Snickers from the chocolate bar machine while someone stood in front of the machine next to me.

“Do I want chocolate or chips?” he said.
I would like to consider myself a helpful guy. I paused my life to walk over and see if I could help this young man make a decision as to what kind of snack he wanted.

After asking him if he was in the mood for something sweet or salty, he looked at me with disgust.

”I am on the phone,” he said.

Am I alone here or do these situations happen to other people? I do not want to have to be a detective to find out if someone is on the telephone. It should be enough to walk up to someone see them holding a phone to their face and realize they are in the middle of another conversation.

Have we socially evolved so much that we can not be alone during the simple moments in life. From what I have been seeing, we need to constantly be connected to others.

Holding a phone to ones head is not a hard task. In fact, I like to look at it as a mild workout. I don’t see a need to limit the hearing senses just to be ready to get a phone call.

To have one ear tuned in to the real world and another just waiting for something or someone better is such a waste. Tune into what is going on around you and leave the earpieces at home.

I worry about how this fad will progress. If it is becoming easier to talk to people at any time, there needs to be limits put in place so these troublesome moments in the washroom and snack machines.

As important as the incoming phone call could be, stop and think about where you are and consider if it really is necessary to make yourself constantly available at anytime.

Bluetooth devices take away from a personable approach with a person as there is the constant question of are they listening to me when I speak to them, or are they listening for someone better.

Leave the earpiece at home. Live in the moment and accept what is happening in the tangible world in front of you.