This generation This generation Is gonna walk with their heads held down Staring at a screen, just above the ground. This generation Is gonna lose the power of speech As they emoji, tap and text gazing at their feet. This generation Is just going to see the Earth Through Instagram and Google photos, for what that's worth. This generation Is not going to know where they are Unless they're told by Alexa or Siri or a SatNav in a car. This generation Will forget everything they learn or are told For the sake of clicks and likes and constant scrolls. This generation Will regress to grunts and moans Neanderthal postures, stooped over their phones. This generation Will wander, walk, spend lives alone But with just one close friend, A screen on a phone. _____________________________ My recent return to Indonesia was extraordinary in that in just 2 years I have noticed the explosion in mobile phone use. Nearly everyone has a smart phone. They are connected 24/7. Groups meet to socialise, eat. But each one is head down, tapping on their phone, as if no one else is there. But this is not unique to Indonesia. It is endemic of our current and more importantly, the next generation. We must start to interact with each other, more than our phones. Look UP, not DOWN.
I went for a walk the other morning. Put the phone in my pocket. Looked people in the eye as I passed, smiled and said good morning. To about 25 people. Each one replied. Smiled. It was human connection. Real, valuable, necessary. Not a ping on a phone. Connect more.
