By Lee Scott
It is amazing how accustomed we have all become to today’s technology.
This was the revelation I experienced when I found myself without phone and Internet connection for two days.
We were traveling along in a boat when I picked up my phone and there in the upper left-hand corner was the message: “No service.”
How could I not have service? Don’t all those ads on television say things like: “We have the best coverage throughout the United States,” and “Never have a call dropped.”
Not only did I not have service, I could not even make a call to get dropped.
Oh, heaven help me. I was in “no bars zone,” the 21st century version of the “Twilight Zone.”
As it turned out, we were in a very rural area and my spouse informed me that where there are no people, there are no cell towers and thus – no bars.
I wrote an e-mail to family and friends. “I am in “no bar zone. If you get this message it is only because I could receive one lonely stray bar for a moment which allowed this message to be transmitted.”
It really is astonishing how spoiled we are with our communication abilities.
We call ahead and make reservations for motels and restaurants. We chat with people who are hundreds of miles away, as if they are next door. We can video conference, send pictures and links, and generally obtain any information.
But not in “no bar zone.” In this vast wasteland, you must relearn new skills, like talking to the person next to you, or reading a book or enjoying the scenery. You do not have the luxury of looking up the history of a country, finding out the current weather conditions or even downloading music.
As we sat there contemplating life without Internet and phones, we decided we would just talk to one another (what a concept).
“So,” asked my spouse, “what would you be looking up if we had any bars?”
I laughed and responded, “I would look up: ‘What do married people talk about when there are no bars?’ ”
After two days, our phones suddenly lit up. There were texts and e-mails. It was wonderful! We were connected to civilization again.
The experience made me realize how much I love, and enjoy, all these electronic devices. But, as it turns out, the “no bar zone” can be a comfortable place to reside at times and having an uninterrupted conversation occasionally is not so difficult after all. Especially now that I have looked up “The art of conversation” on the Internet.
