Monday, June 11, 2012

Your smart phone is making you stupid!

There was a time not long ago when people were bored. I mean kids and adults would literally be bored out of their minds and practically to tears. This psychological condition most likely occurred during periods of time when you were involved in an activity that you did not want to attend. It could also potentially occur when you are not necessarily attending or involved in any particular activity and were simply lounging around with nothing specific to do. I guess more precisely what I mean to say, is that there existed a time just a short while ago, when a person couldn't expect to have every single moment of their existence filled with Facebook, Twitter, Blogger and a billion other mental distractions. Strange as it may sound, there was actually a time when a man could be alone with his thoughts and just reflect, plan and think.

It is comical to me to now be holding in my hands a "smart" phone that makes me feel anything but "smart". I no longer remember anyone's phone number, trivial facts and figures or a hundred other minute details, I used to store in my cranium. Though in a couple keystrokes, I can tell you practically any piece of trivial information on a wide variety of mundane subjects, including the entire history of the shalalie (yes I actually loaded this up at a bar during St. Patrick’s Day to settle a bet!). Though I am sure the original plan for the “smart” phone was well meaning, it unfortunately appears that my "smart" phone has made me kind of well . . . stupid. I note that even my attention span seems to be waning. Activities that once I relished for their peace and quiet now seem . . . quite frankly mundane.

To determine just how badly I have been affected by the advent of technology, this past deer hunting season I decided to conduct an experiment. I forced myself to sit in my tree stand for 8 to 10 hours without my smart phone and guess what happened, I was fantastically BORED! My research determined, that I was only able to sit for approximately 2 hours before I got the nagging impulse to check my e-mail, tweet or read the latest weather report. By 5 hours I was sweating profusely and at 7 hours, attempted to construct a smart phone out of birch bark and duct tape. Shame on me!

While guiding last season, I observed that many of my bear hunting clients went a field carrying their smart phones. While many in the smart phone crew shot bears, many others did not. They would tell me in the evening, that they never even saw a bear but I had to wonder if they were "playing games" on their phones at the critical moment when Mr. Bear was nosing around the bait site?!?!

With a pursuit of a game animal, you owe it to the creature you are pursuing to devote to the hunt your attention or at least cut back on the number of unnecessary distractions. This will not only increase your chances of taking game, it will ultimately make you a better hunter, one more connected to the environment and your natural surroundings. Tune in this turkey season and refuse to tune out!

For a similar posting please see: 
http://www.themaineoutdoorsman.com/2011/04/sportsmans-power-of-patience-and.html

10 comments:

  1. I don't know about the phone thing...but I've been feeling stupider and stupider every year...but stupidity is bliss!

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    1. PBM, That might be the other thing we men suffer from as we get older . . . selective memory. What dear? You wanted me to stop by the grocery store on the way home from work? Sorry, I TOTALLY forgot! :)

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  2. I would agree with you, you couldn't even stay away from it while we were fishing. Meanwhile during this venture, my old cell phone went dead and I had no charger. Wife ended up leaving me and is currently following some dude called the Rabid Outdoorsman.

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    Replies
    1. What can I say, the ladies love a man with a fully charged cell phone set to vibrate. :)

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  3. I try to use it only to make sure I am in contact (so the locks are not changed when I return home after 10 hours in a blind)
    Phil

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    1. ESO, I KNOW! It wouldn't make any sense to come home at all if the doors are just going to be LOCKED! Think of the time you can save with that "stupid" cell phone! Quack, quack my good man!

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  4. Only fantastically bored? :) My issue doesn't lie with my smart phone when in the woods. My problem is watching the inside of my eyelids while I'm sitting. I'm sure I've had a few good ones pass by me while I was off in lala land, but I'll never know!

    Birch bark and duct tape huh? I'd buy it if you used camo colored duct tape! :)

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  5. Ok, ok perhaps SUPER fantastically bored?!?! :) I bough a VERY nice climbing stand this past deer season after about sitting for 10 years in one that was extremely uncomfortable. Funny how this year I constantly battled sleepiness and never had issue before . . . I must be just getting old!

    There are other colors of duct tape besides camo? :)

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  6. So totally relatable. I have a minor panic attack if I think I've forgotten my phone!

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    Replies
    1. Ever go away on a LONG weekend and realize you forgot your charger! THE HORROR!!!!!!

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