Naked iPhone

I’ve been careless with technology in the past. I’ve dropped and broken phones, computers, watches, and Xbox controllers. I recently bought a new iPhone 8 and have been using an old iPhone 6 case to protect it; however, the past few days I’ve been carrying it around without a case. Naked.

Neil deGrasse Tyson doesn’t have a case on his iPhone. His reasoning is metaphoric yet simple: medieval soldiers respected the swords they carried for the weapons they were. They were careful when handling them. They didn’t throw them around or forget them. Without their swords, they would not be soldiers but strategists.

Is an iPhone not more powerful than a weapon? A sword can kill; a phone can create. A sword opens chasms; a phone is a bridge. A sword is a select class; a phone is for everybody.

Imagine how the world would be different if we treated phones for the weapons they were.

Broken Bottles, Open Minds

I recently discovered my love for glass water bottles. It’s obvious once you begin this habit: glass makes water taste better. No placebo or conspiracy. It’s a fact. The only problem with a glass water bottle is if it drops, it won’t dent or scratch. It will break into a hundred pieces. And somebody has to clean it up (it’s you).

This happened twice in the past month.

You’d think this would deter me from buying another one. But I really like drinking out of a glass bottle. I don’t want to be handicapped by only drinking out of metal or—God forbid—plastic for the next 100 years. So I better get good at it soon. Trial by fire.

You’d think this trend of breaking fragile object would lead me to get a case for my brand new iPhone 8. Haven’t decided on that one yet. Some things must be handled with care, like a warrior yielding his sword, or a police officer carrying his gun.

We have to get better at caring for the things that matter to us.