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We all know that it used to be, that when a person entered a Shul, he was removing himself from the world outside and connecting himself to the spiritual world. At that time (which wasn’t too long ago) people had respect to the kedusha that was in a Shul or Beis Medrash.
It used to be that it was possible and very common for a Baal Habbas to be a Talmid Chacham. He would use all his side time to learn. All the time he came early to shul. On the train or bus. Waiting in a doctors office.
It used to be that in middle of davening in shul, nothing was going on other than davening.
It used to be that when you were talking to someone you got the respect of that person to devote his attention to you and focus on what your saying. People developed REAL relationships.
It used to be that a husband and wife would sit down to the table by dinner and spend time with his wife and be busy with nothing else.
It used to be that people wouldn’t bring in newspapers and magazines that weren’t appropriate for a Jewish home.
It used to be that people wouldn’t bring in a television to their home.All this by many people, is an era gone bye.
People sit in Shul with their smartphone aside them and that hour a day that they sit by the Gemara is no longer devoted to the Gemara. Rather all the focus is gone and half the time is gone on the phone. People have no pachad to text, chat, check emails or browse the web while sitting in a shul. People come early to davening and use their time to check their emails which they just checking 3 minutes ago anyway.
In some places it’s hard to go bye a 5 minute shemona esrei without hearing someones phone play a song disturbing davening. Additionally, people feel no need to lower the volume on their phone and we have to hear the “ping” when he gets a email. WHY??? It’s enough that you dont care about your own davening but what about mine?
Sitting and learning in a BM and people can be doing all sorts of things. Talking on the phone, texting, browsing the web. But all in all, not caring that they are destroying the ruach of the BM.Some people that you talk to can’t hold them self back from looking at their phone while their talking to you. HULLO? I’m talking to you! Whats wrong with you?!
I witnessed what looked to me a young couple who came to a restaurant for dinner one night. The husband came to sit down with his wife, and had to wait while she finished with her phone! What is going on?!
PEOPLE BECAME CRAZY! SMARTPHONE VEGETABLES.
People that would have never brought a sports illustrated into their house, now will bring a smartphone with internet. But their kids cant see it. As if they can control that. Even if it has a filter, filters aren’t perfect. Also, kids can easily bypass them. Then we wonder why the kid can’t learn, because he saw on his mothers smartphone the worst of the worst being over aveiros dearoisa! Don’t be fooled that your child is better then that. I know the sugya well. No child is immuned.
Some Bais Yaakov girls think that they can have smartphones and want “Learning Boys”. I have news for them . They shouldn’t be surprised if some boys will say know solely because she has a smartphone.
Real solid learning boys who are looking to shteig don’t own smartphones, and usually don’t what a girl that has one.Again, I know the sugya. Trust me.
So all the smartphone vegetables out there. Think. Get rid of it. It’s mesirus nefesh. But it’s necessary. Life is much more real without it. Don’t fool yourself that you need it for work and the like. Generally speaking it’s quite doable without it. It may be a little be of a inconvenience but for yiddishkeit and for real relationships it’s not worth it? ? ?
This that you want to be in contact with your friends, I have news for you! I don’t have even texting and I don’t believe I lost any friends from it! Life is just better and more focused!
Hatzlocha!
yeah? how do you keep in touch with people who are in a completely different time zone- like 12 hours ahead or behind?
Some Bais Yaakov girls think that they can have smartphones and want “Learning Boys”. I have news for them . They shouldn’t be surprised if some boys will say know solely because she has a smartphone.
Real solid learning boys who are looking to shteig don’t own smartphones, and usually don’t what a girl that has one.This is a common occurrence, actually. I know a few stories from good friends who turned down otherwise good shidduchim because the girl had a smartphone. One of my friends told her that he wants to marry her, but he’ll only do so if she gets rid of the smartphone. She said – hey, something so small is the make it or break it? He said – I’m asking you to choose between me and your phone. Your decision will say a lot about you!! She gave up the phone…
While I’m sure that most of the people here, like most people today, are too young to remember life without smartphones, some of you might have heard stories from the times before smartphones and widespread Internet. I still remember back when I was a teenager, reading books and ignoring people. Anyone who wanted to speak to me had to wait until I finished the chapter before I would even look at them.
also another question. you are using the internet while writing this article. so please dont be a hypocrite. (ok that wasnt a question but you get the point i hope)
Where do you buy such long lasting smartphones?
also another question. you are using the internet while writing this article. so please dont be a hypocrite. (ok that wasnt a question but you get the point i hope)
Hey, that not true. Internet and smartphones are worlds apart. And yes, Internet may also be wrong in many circumstances, but most of the points the author lamented in the OP are not relevant to internet, they are specifically about smartphones.
You can say that you don’t agree that these are ramifications of having smartphones, or that you need it for your business and that it’s worth sacrificing your davening and relationships for the convenience, but there’s no reason to attack back!!
While I’m sure that most of the people here, like most people today, are too young to remember life without smartphones
Hey! The first iphone only came out in 2007, I think… Let’s not get carried away…
But if there are people with a memory span of more than ten years, how come people with smartphones don’t know what it’s like not to have one?
I remember when i was sitting shiva for my mother a”h and someone pulled out their cellphone i just thought it was the tackiest thing you could do at such an occasion.
My phone is my watch. I’d use a regular pocket watch, but those don’t come in digital in my price range.
Thank you, HIE. Well said.
Go stuff a shoe.
I remember when i was sitting shiva for my mother a”h and someone pulled out their cellphone i just thought it was the tackiest thing you could do at such an occasion.
I dont know the specifics and I dont know you or the person, but it could very well be the person was expecting some important information. Sometimes I tell people that I am somewhere important and dont call me, but send me a text so as not to interfere and if the text is important then I will call otherwise I can ignore
“it could very well be the person was expecting some important information”
People managed to deal with that for thousands of years without carrying phones with them everywhere they go.
People lived for thousands of years without Electric Lights and Indoor Plumbing. Just because something was done a certain way in the past, doesnt mean its the correct way
” Just because something was done a certain way in the past, doesnt mean its the correct way.”
Nor does it mean that it’s the incorrect way.
The Chofetz Chaim refused to learn by eletric lights and would only learn by candlelight. he felt it was too modern to learn from electric lights. perhaps we should all learn by candlelight
zahavasdad,
You are completely missing the point.
No one is saying we shouldn’t use smartphones because people got along fine without them for thousands of years.
The point being made is that it is rude to take out your cell phone while being menachem avel.
Ayyyy, but you’ll ask, maybe that guy was waiting for an important call, so maybe it wasn’t actually rude?
To that, DovidBT responded: “People managed to deal with that for thousands of years without carrying phones with them everywhere they go.” (i.e. he can wait a few minutes to check his phone, or if it’s that urgent he could step out)
People managed to deal with that for thousands of years without carrying phones with them everywhere they go.
For those thousands of years, your boss or clients didn’t expect you to always be available.
That said, it’s not an excuse. Put your phone on silent when you pay a shiva visit, and don’t check your messages until you leave. No boss or client has a right to make you such a slave that you can’t be unavailable for 15 minutes. It’s more about self control than it is about a real need to be perpetually accessible.
HIE,
People come early to davening and use their time to check their emails which they just checking 3 minutes ago anyway.
One of the first times I saw someone perusing a smartphone during davening, I felt shocked and appalled, until it hit me that the fellow was using his smartphone as a siddur. I personally think it’s much better to use a siddur than a phone to daven, but it was a good lesson for me in dan l’kaf zechus.
Some people that you talk to can’t hold them self back from looking at their phone while their talking to you. HULLO? I’m talking to you! Whats wrong with you?!
I agree that this behavior is intensely rude. Smartphones have been an extremely disruptive technology to society so far, causing rapid changes to culture, language, and behavior. Some of those changes have been positive, but there are also some serious negative impacts, many of which you enumerated in your OP.
That said, your blanket condemnation of your fellow Jews and this generation makes me uncomfortable.
HIE,
Additionally, i’m not the boss of my house. I wish I wouldn’t be on the Internet, but it’s in the house. Iyh when I do build my own home I will make tremendous effort to keep this rubbish out of my home.
This sounds a bit like a cop-out. Unless the “boss” of your house is requiring you to be on the Internet for some reason, just because the Internet is available in your home does not mean you have to be on it.
zahavasdad,
but it could very well be the person was expecting some important information.
This is absolutely possible, and the polite thing to do in that case is to put your phone on vibrate, and if you feel it vibrating, step outside to make the call or read the text.
But smartphones are an island of tranquility in a scary world. Some people need that.
“Some people that you talk to can’t hold them self back from looking at their phone while their talking to you. HULLO? I’m talking to you! Whats wrong with you?!”
A similar issue is when you’re talking to someone and his phone rings. He takes the call as if it automatically has precedence over his conversation with you. Actually, that behavior predates cell phones; many people do the same thing when a landline phone rings.
The Automobile, Trains , Printing Press and other inventions did more damage for Yiddishkeit than the smartphone could ever do
The Automobile, Trains , Printing Press and other inventions did more damage for Yiddishkeit than the smartphone could ever do
If you define “damage to Yiddishkeit” as the unraveling of Yiras Shamayim or as facilitating and causing people to be oiver more issurim than they would without it, then your claim is nonsense.
I wonder how you define “damage to Yiddishkeit”.
smartphones are destroying communication between friends, family and literally everyone. We barely talk. We text bc it’s more convenient. However, texting is all superficial and is not a real relationship. Of course a quick text is okay. But nowadays, conversations are being held over texting which is going way beyond what texting was meant for. It’s a horrible reality that most likely will not change.
Another point is putting our phone away while talking to someone (unless expecting an important call). Texting while talking sends the message of you’re not important to me. At the end of the day, our family and friends are the real relationships we should make an effort to keep. Not the ones with out phone.
The biggest movement from Yiddishkeit to non-yiddishkeit occured in the 19th century with the advocate of Reform and people moving to the big cities and the USA from the Shtetl
Kefira could never have spread without the printing press, before the Printing press it was hard to spread Kefira but once it was invented one could print Kefira and spread it everywhere
Before trains and automoblies it was hard to leave the community, but once it became easier to travel longer distances people moved and their ties to the community became less and less
I need a phone just so I can look at it instead of interacting with people.
ZD, the printing press enabled the non-wealthy to own seforim.
This isn’t everywhere. In Israel the majority don’t accept smartphones, and if they have any type of device that is kosher and can do other things, a lot can’t text still or have whatsapp.
I read a study about how just having your phone out in visible sight during a conversation can affect the other person and how they veiw you and how they think you respect them.
I tell people I’m friends with that I’m going to hang out with them only if they put their phone away. I make sure the majority of my time with them is spent face to face, second in line phone/skype, and afterwards messaging. If messaging ends up taking up more time, I’ll limit it. I’ll “not be avialable” in middle of a text conversation I’ll say “Hey, I want to talk about it like fact to face, let’s wait till then and change the subject” or “i MISS your voice, let’s talk” or “my hands hurt from typing” or “I gotta clean my room, but I want to talk to you, so let’s speak over the phone and I can do both!” etc.
You aren’t a slave to yourself, to society, to anyone. If it’s harming your life, get rid of it. Be honest with yourself and don’t think about “what they’ll say” and I promise anyone who drops you cuz you can’t text, whatsapp, etc isn’t a real friend.
If you live far apart you can email, like people write letters, you can talk on the phone, video chat on skype, or hangouts or lots of other stuff.
Shopping613, you make so many good points.
Unfortunately, a lot of us are slaves to our phones. We all fee the need or urge to look at our phone every few minutes. But, not at the expense of others! Not while having a conversation. If needed, excuse yourself. It sounds like common sense, so why isn’t it being done? It’s because we the urge to see who texted us or who called us is too great – that it has to put our conversation on “hold”!Everyone would admit that it doesn’t make them feel good when others pick up their phones while in the middle of a conversation. It’s plan and simply rude. Please don’t do this to others. We don’t always realize the effect our actions have on others, but they are powerful. Actions speak louder than words!
Using a phone to reject people is so much easier than the alternative.
Actually there’s another point about texting, that most people are actually addicted to it. I’m no exaggerating. You see your brain is very smart, it learns slowly slowly that when it hears a ‘ping’, someone is messaging them, and that makes them feel good. It makes them feel wanted, needed, popular, etc. You ussually check your phone if not immediately, within the next few minutes, and when you do you get a rush of “feel good” hormones. Your brain understands that to checking the phone feels good, and it brings a rush of that to you.
That’s why it’s so hard to not check your phone, your brain may be hardwired to do so. Don’t worry though, Hashem made our brain very flexible and you can rewire it by training it to wait to see texts, etc. And don’t give me “But it might be important”. Do yourself a favor and give your spouse and other important people a seperate ring tone and ping noises, if you aren’t expecting anything important-it’s probably not.
Shopping613,
Actually there’s another point about texting, that most people are actually addicted to it. I’m no exaggerating.
This is very true, and is part of the reason that smartphones have had such a large cultural impact. It’s good to be aware of this influence.
You don’t understand how lucky you are to get unimportant messages.
I don’t get the vegetables analogy
RebYidd23 is the only one here who actually gets it.
“also another question. you are using the internet while writing this article. so please dont be a hypocrite. ”
“Hey, that not true. Internet and smartphones are worlds apart. And yes, Internet may also be wrong in many circumstances, but most of the points the author lamented in the OP are not relevant to internet, they are specifically about smartphones.”
True, but there is also another point to be made here: Even if it had been about internet, I don’t think that necessarily makes the poster a hypocrite. Actually, I would say that it makes him/her intellectually honest.
One of the main reasons for people having a hard time acknowledging that a certain behavior is problematic is that they themselves engage it. An intellectually honest person is able to acknowledge that the fact that he does something doesn’t make it ideal.
To clarify my above post: When I wrote that “it doesn’t mean it’s ideal”, perhaps the person feels that in a particular situation it is necessary, but in others it’s not, or perhaps he feels that it’s a b’dieved, so in some situations one has no choice but one should try to do it as little as possible, or perhaps he feels that it’s something that he needs to work on as well. (I’m talking in general now, not just about this case).
Are Blackberries and iPhones smartphone fruits? Is that worse than smartphone vegetables?
“I don’t get the vegetables analogy”
vegetable = mindless
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