What happens if we treat our smartphone as if it were a gun?
For starters, we use it only when it is absolutely necessary. We have periods we lock it up and periods we check it out.
We can be guilt-free when we go on walks without it.
We can make it out of sight when having deep and meaningful conversations with those we love. Or when we are around children and pets.
Holding a firearm can alter behavior. Beholding a phone for too long can alter behavior.
Hypothetically, what if, as in the case of carrying a gun, we also get licenses to carry a phone? The prospective holders should have undertaken a course that helped them understand how to manage themselves while using a phone. They understood the beautiful things they can do with one, and the relative dangers attached to misuse.
Maybe the badge of completion of this course becomes a badge of honour for them to signal to others that they are 'responsible'. With all things attached to social status gained through a trend, maybe that may come with its challenges.
Just as many see a firearm as a tool, we see the phone as a tool. What most people who buy a gun really want is safety. The gun became a tool, wielding either the promise or illusion of safety.
Smartphones have made it easier to ping anyone, anytime. But that's not what most souls long for. Most souls long for genuine human connection, not surface-level chats and GIFs. Most people intend to use their phones to deepen their communication and connection with other humans - lovers, friends, family, coworkers, clients, and strangers. In the same breath, most people have complained about the toll the distraction from these devices has on their relationship.
The point isn't to get a range of new tools. Instead, it is to use the tools available to you to build meaningful and trusting relationships. To create things and experiences that are useful to yourself and others. And to lead a life of joy and happiness in ways that enable others to do the same.
This is only a thought experiment. While many may not have the privilege of being away from their phones for an extended period, we all have the opportunity to conduct thought experiments like this. Even if it is for the sake of it.