Why Is My Phone About to Die

Why Is My Phone About to Die I am seated in a rocking chair at Dayton International Airport, flight delayed, thumbing through tweets, photos, and various bits of miscellanea on the device in my palm while I wait to find out  whether my next flight will be canceled. Everyone around me seems to be doing the same thing. We are a sea of people lost in the mesmerizing  glow of our screensâ€"alone together. Suddenly, an ominous red bar interrupts my handheld activities, accompanied by a warning: low battery. My first reaction: frustration, irritation, annoyance. Why the hell is my phone about to die? I cant believe this stupid freaking thing! Of course, I have been pacifying myself for the last hour (or two), frantically fiddling with the touchscreen, hopping from icon to icon, searching for the next ephemeral rush of dopamine. My behavior: reactionary and impulsive and the opposite of mindful. These activities, when done in excess, are as meaningless as channel surfing, resulting in an  endless amount of low-level anxietyâ€"a sort of postmodern itch, not unlike that of a heroin addict as he stumbles through  withdrawal. But its not my phones fault, its mine: rarely does the blame belong to  the material thing itself. The stuff is not the problemâ€"we are. Realizing this, I set down the phone and breathe  in the world around me, but only after sending one final tweet: If your phone is constantly about to die, then maybe its not the phone that has a problem. Subscribe to The Minimalists via email.