Whatβs something you miss from the old days?
If I’m being honest, I don’t miss the old televisions, dial-up internet or even those heavy mobile phones.
I miss my brain.
Somewhere between the indestructible Nokia 3310 and today’s super-smart smartphones, a silent exchange took place. Our phones became intelligent, and my brain apparently submitted its resignation without informing me.
Back in the day, I was a walking telephone directory. I remembered at least thirty phone numbers, including friends, relatives and the local stationery shop. I could dial my home number in complete darkness.
Today, if my phone battery dies, I might have to introduce myself to the security guard and ask him to help me find my way home.
And directions? We didn’t need a Google aunty telling us to turn left in 200 metres. We simply rolled down the car window and asked a gentleman near a Tea stall.
His directions usually involve__ Go straight until you cross two speed breakers, take a left at the yellow temple, and ask the Paanwala.”Β Somehow, we reached our destination.
Now, if Google Maps says turn left, I follow it even when my common sense is screaming, “That’s a wall.”
But there’s something else I miss.
The freedom to make a fool of myself without becoming an internet sensation.
Imagine someone slipping on the road. In those days, we rushed to help, controlled our laughter (sometimes unsuccessfully), and went home.
Today, before the poor person can even get up, three smartphones are recording the incident. Someone has probably added slow-motion effects, dramatic music and the caption: “Monday Motivation.”
Even our embarrassing moments need media clearance now.
And don’t get me started on mental maths. Earlier, I could calculate grocery bills in my head. Today, I reach for my phone to calculate 15% of 200 and still double-check the answer.
I know smartphones are wonderful. They can remember birthdays, find restaurants, recognise songs and even tell us whether we should carry an umbrella.
But sometimes I wonder:
Did we buy smart phones at the cost of becoming slightly dumb ourselves?
I don’t want to go back to the old days completely. I just want my old brain back, preferably with its original memory and navigation settings.
And please, no software updates. I’m already struggling with the current version. π
Yes, modern smartphones are absolute marvels. Having the entire library of human knowledge in my pocket is undeniably convenient.
Still, I miss the quiet confidence of the old daysβwhen my phone couldn’t do anything at all, and my brain felt like it could handle everything.
10 responses to “When Phones Were Dumb, My Brain Was a Supercomputer!”
I do woodland surveys. I seek out hidden veteran and ancient trees. I saw this because, after a year’s break, I went out with a local knowledgeable person and an OS map. I had to have the Woodland Trust Ancient Tree Inventory live on my phone, and I also needed it for photos. Curses! Within a mile, I had What3Words added, then AllTrails! I still needed a tape measure. I found a lovely old beech along a wooded path. It was a struggle up the steep bank. I got it all but fell backwards from the tree, narrowly averting twisting an ankle, but fell awkwardly on my side. As I lay upside down, I checked for my phone. Like it or not, I could be found. I could give the recently loaded tree ID, or what3words?! Or call my wife. Actually, I just hoped no one was coming along the path, extracted myself, and came home. Do any of us leave the House these days without a charged phone? The only thing I can’t do with it yet is sit on it and fly along the footpaths to the supermarket – now there’s an idea. Call a Tesla hover scooter?
LikeLiked by 3 people
Jonathan, what a great story! π Lying upside down on a bank and checking for your phone before your ankle is painfully relatable. Glad you came away with just a bruised ego.
Your woodland surveys sound wonderful. Seeking out hidden veteran and ancient trees is a lovely way to spend time, and I admire anyone who’ll scramble up a steep bank for a beech. Maybe the tree was just welcoming you back after your year’s break, a bit roughly!
Here’s to a fully charged phone, a tape measure in your pocket, and gentler banks next time. Take care out there! π³
LikeLike
It has a water bowl betweens it’s roots where our dkf took a sip for many years . Take care.
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a lovely detail, Jonathan. A little water bowl between the roots where your dog took a sip for many years is such a sweet picture, and it gives the tree even more character. ππ³
Thank you for sharing that. It sounds like a tree with plenty of stories, and I hope it keeps being looked after. Take care too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
A brilliant reflection wrapped in humour. Technology has made our devices smarter, but convenience should never come at the cost of our own awareness, memory and discernment. The real wisdom lies not in rejecting progress, but in ensuring that we remain masters of our tools rather than becoming dependent upon them.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you so much for such a thoughtful comment! π You’ve captured the heart of it perfectly. The goal isn’t to shun progress but to stay in charge of our tools rather than the other way round. Funnily enough, I nearly needed my phone to rescue me from a tree, so the lesson was a timely one! I really appreciate you taking the time to read and reflect.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This made me laugh and nod at the same time. I remember thirty phone numbers too, or at least I thought I did, and I could dial home in the dark without thinking. Now I reach for my phone to work out 15 percent of 200, just like you, and I still double check the answer. Your directions from the gentleman near the tea stall are perfect, with two speed breakers, a left at the yellow temple, and ask the Paanwala, because somehow those directions always worked. I also agree about embarrassing moments needing media clearance now. I do not want to give up my smartphone, but I have started leaving it in another room for an hour in the evening and trying to remember one number or one route from memory. It is a small way to keep my old brain in practice. Thank you for the humour and for the reminder that we should stay masters of our tools.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you for such a lovely comment. π I’m glad it made you laugh and nod. Those tea stall directions, with the speed breakers, the yellow temple and the Paanwala, really did work better than any map app!
Your evening phone-free hour is a great idea. Remembering one number or one route is a gentle workout for the brain, and I think I’ll borrow it. Thank you for sharing, and take care! π
LikeLike
Reality of the backward progress of humans
π.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Ha, that’s a fair way to put it. π Technology keeps getting smarter, and sometimes we forget to keep ourselves sharp. I like to think we can still enjoy the progress as long as we stay curious and keep using our own memory and common sense now and then. Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts.
LikeLike