I recently struck up a conversation with a group of young men in their 20’s. We had a pleasant chat about various subjects and topics of interest.
To be honest, talk of cars and which model of which one was top of the list. Following this was talk of famous footballers, sports competitions, wrestlers and movie stars. In fact it saddens me to say but I discovered that they weren’t even aware of the names of any well-known intellectuals, writers or thinkers. I am not ashamed to report what I discovered, without omission or addition, but I was appalled to learn that reading in general isn’t part of their daily routines.
Now what did I see that was of great importance to the young men? Their mobile phones! Every one of them has a mobile in his hand, receiving and making calls constantly. Some concentrate on sending text messages to their colleagues and friends, their special friends and their families.
As the conversation moved from one thing to another, I asked one of them to show me the type of messages he receives and sends. Sadly, it was soon clear that the messages were meaningless. Young girls also have their own fantasy world, different-colored mobile phones, nonsense telephone conversations and they too waste a lot of time and money.
After my young friends and I had parted, I drove home thinking. Who pays for these telephone bills? Why so much waste? Aren’t there other more useful and beneficial ways to spend money? Why do they seem foreign to us? It is the parents who pay these ridiculous telephone bills and they are the ones responsible for their children’s behavior.
