We’ve all been there. In fact, we all are there.
But what happened to our collective common sense? Somewhere along the way, we all lost our minds. We are driving the roads of our lives, sometimes even at high speeds on highways, and picking up our phones to read and/or send text messages as if that is totally and completely okay. We are driving with our children in the car and allowing ourselves to become distracted by what’s happening on our phones. We have somehow convinced ourselves that we are so important, that information is so critical, that our ability to receive and transmit messages immediately and at all times is – well, our veritable lifeblood.
We’re morons.
Here’s the deal. If you decide that you can’t live your life without texting, tweeting, emailing or talking while driving your car and you ultimately kill yourself as a result of your stupidity, that’s sad. And I’m sorry for you. And if I know you, I might miss you. And whether I know you or not, I’ll certainly feel sorry for your family and their loss. But it’s bigger than just you. If you insist on doing those stupid, unnecessary things and kill me – well that would really suck. And if you manage to kill my children, or someone else’s children or someone that I love because of that very same stupidity, that would suck even more.
So here’s my question – are you really that important? Are any of us really that important? Is any message that anyone has to send us, or any message that we feel compelled to send ourselves really so important that it is worth risking lives?
I think not. So, do yourself a favor – and do the rest of us a favor as well – the next time you get in your car, turn your damn phone off. None of us are really so important that we can’t manage a few minutes without connectivity. And, lest you think that I write this post from a position of sanctimony, let me assure you that is not the case. I am as guilty as the next person of occasionally losing my mind and forgetting that I’m just not all that important. And by writing this post, I shall endeavor to remind myself of that very thing – on a daily basis.
And maybe we can all manage to stay alive as a result. Wouldn’t that be nice?
Shelly Kramer is a Principal Analyst and Founding Partner at Futurum Research. A serial entrepreneur with a technology centric focus, she has worked alongside some of the world’s largest brands to embrace disruption and spur innovation, understand and address the realities of the connected customer, and help navigate the process of digital transformation. She brings 20 years’ experience as a brand strategist to her work at Futurum, and has deep experience helping global companies with marketing challenges, GTM strategies, messaging develoment, and driving strategy and digital transformation for B2B brands across multiple verticals. Shelly’s coverage areas include Collaboration/CX/SaaS, platforms, ESG, and Cybersecurity, as well as topics and trends related to the Future of Work, the transformation of the workplace and how people and technology are driving that transformation. A transplanted New Yorker, she has learned to love life in the Midwest, and has firsthand experience that some of the most innovative minds and most successful companies in the world also happen to live in “flyover country.”
