The Hard Addiction That's Become a Social Norm

It happened about a month ago. But does it really matter when? It happens every day, every moment. A child, around 5 or 6 years old, staring into his father's smartphone like a zombie. "Roy, that's enough! Give me the phone!" the father demands sternly. But Roy... Roy is in another world, already deep inside. The scene repeats like a broken record – the child moving his fingers frantically, the father insisting he finish, and the child pleading for his father's mercy not to take away his oxygen. I wondered to myself, why did the father even bother bringing him to the playground? And when the phone finally returns to its owner, he immediately checks for the latest updates, of course.

Honestly, I felt a bit sorry for both of them.

As for me, without a smartphone and with my kosher phone, I'm running around with my daughter inside the train cars at the park. Not lost in an imaginary world. Living the now, the reality, the father-daughter connection, the warm humanity.

And Roy? Roy, like many others (kids, teens, and adults), lives in a virtual world, inside a piece of metal that "makes life much easier, and how can we do without it?" It certainly can make life much easier, but somewhere along the way, or quite early on, it disconnects us from life.

Some people make a brave decision and choose to part with the smartphone to truly live. To live with those in front of them, without the endless beeps that snatch away dad and mom, and even the son and daughter. It's a brave choice that comes at a price. All good things require a payment. And here, it means giving up some convenience, but the reward is incomparable, both immediately and especially in the long run. The addiction to constant updates makes us miss out on what's happening around us, on the people, on life itself.

Despite the respect for technological advancement, who said that in some cases, like the one mentioned, it's not against us? The smartphone is an addictive tool, drawing us into a virtual world made of flickering pixels. It disconnects us from connecting to what is happening right now around us, to our world and ourselves.

And while we're at it, let's mention what happens there on unfiltered media - actions and expressions indicating corrupt values; forbidden images; shaming on social networks and public humiliation has become routine, and as the sages said, "Anyone who embarrasses their friend in public is as if they spill blood." All these gradually seep into us and pollute our souls with that spiritual decay. The spiritual deterioration occurs in us just by our exposure to it, even if we internally oppose the content we were exposed to. Countless mental health studies present the painful damage caused by exposure to unfiltered media, such as damage to self-esteem, depression, neglect of real life, loneliness, diminished humanity, and more.

There is an alternative, one that can curb the madness. It's called the 'Kosher Phone.'

The Weekly Challenge

Do you have an unprotected smartphone and want to take a step forward? One option is to install a filtering app on your regular smartphone, like NetSpark, Rimon, and others. Another option is using a "protected smartphone" available for purchase from companies like Hadren, Nativ, Musagach, Mahadrin Plus, and more. The additional and most recommended option is switching to a kosher phone.

Think about it, explore, digest. Who knows, maybe you'll end up recommending it to friends.