The Bailey Blog

Cuba, I hope you can hear me now.

The Cuban people have been oppressed by their government again.

No, this time it isn’t about restricting freedom but granting it. Apparently, Raul Castro, younger brother and more progressive dictator than Fidel ever was, has lifted the ban on cellular phones for the common man (in addition to microwave ovens and computers.)

While the Cubans are rejoicing now, they soon will find out why the nickname “cell phone” often makes me think I am imprisoned by this magnificent and yet poisonous tool on which, ironically, I drafted this blog entry.

Try as I might, I cannot simply focus on the amazing technology and how it has made me more effective, more efficient and more connected with family, friends, colleagues, clients and the world at large.

Perhaps that’s because each of those wondrous things mentioned above comes with a price: the ability to be disconnected and alone with my thoughts or focused on the person I’m with at the time rather than those who are reaching out to touch me electronically.

When you’re at a store and paying at the register, doesn’t it irk you when the clerk answers the phone and starts paying attention to that person instead? Exactly! So why do we allow ourselves to do this whenever our cell phones buzz and beep and tweet to alert us to a call, a text message, an e-mail or a breaking news alert?

Because we have become so transfixed as a nation on our ability to communicate instantly with anyone that we have lost the ability to focus on the person or task at hand. And we have become so expectant of everyone else wanting to communicate instantly that it’s becoming unacceptable to be unavailable.

So while I am happy that Cuba has a shot at becoming freer like the United States under their new leader, I can’t help but pity them for what this new freedom might mean for them.

You see it isn’t just about being able to call someone or receive a call whenever you want. It is about being tracked by a company or government who will know exactly where you are because your phone keeps telling them. It is about rarely finishing a conversation with someone without interruption by someone else who seems more important because they come with a ringtone. It is about watching driving habits deteriorate exponentially as more people answer their phones with, “Sure, I can talk; I’m only driving.”

It is about never having a restaurant meal, a trip on a bus, a walk through a park, a trip through the airport, a transaction in any checkout line or even a moment of solitude in the bathroom without the annoyance of a ringtone followed by the too-loud greeting and the, “Sure, I can talk, I’m only…”

So, rejoice while you can Cuba. And I’ll see you around the cell block.