“Thoughts on San Antonio”

Sitting on the balcony overlooking the San Antonio River, I paused to observe a young couple walking down the sidewalk.  They were walking single file, the woman in front of the man, about 5 paces between.  Both were looking at their cell phone, entranced it seemed at the stream of information arriving at their beck and call.  I wondered, as I watched if they thought about their feet while walking?  Is it possible to read a cell phone screen so intently that one forgets about your feet?  I surmised that I could so such a thing, but what about this couple?  Had they trained themselves individually or as a couple to observe both their phone screen and their feet?  What about the cars moving down the road?  They were safely on the sidewalk.  What if they inadvertently walked off into the road?  Is this not an accident waiting to happen?  And what about the other pedestrians?  This is a very busy part of the town, right above the river walk.  Persons are coming and going all over the place.  And there are also little children, whom as we know are notoriously difficult to manage and require constant attention!  What if they fall over a little child?

I became exhausted watching this young couple, worrying about what might inadvertently happen!  Now, in my younger life I became adept at walking and chewing gum.  I could even walk, chew gum and plan where I wanted to go, and review (in my head) notes I had taken from class the day before.  But I have never done this while peering at a cellphone screen! It is a feat beyond my imagination!  I asked my daughter, who is able to follow a google map on her phone and use it to find a destination either in the town or city how she did this difficult feat.  She explained plainly that a person had to always think about their feet first, to know where they are going.  The eyes observing data and the brain assembling it then guide the feet. This seems to me a reasonable explanation, except I have yet to do it!  My generation trained ourselves to walk and chew gum.  This generation knows how to walk, chew gum and follow a map on the phone’s computer.  They also listen to their favorite music, watch a program recorded off Net-flicks, text their friends, buy a book off Amazon and apply to Vet School all at the same time.  I, however, can only walk and chew gum.

Watch out for the next generation following this one. They may know the meaning of planned obsolescence! Likely they will do away with an old fogies like me.  But that is a subject for another day, when our grandchildren have their turn to rule the world!

B.Wilson, MD