ADDICTED

Back in the day, some folks took up smoking just because most everyone else was doing it. For guys, it was looked upon as being cool to have a smoldering cigarette clenched between fingers, or dangling from lips.

Certain fellows would even stick a cigarette over their ear—unlit of course, or roll a pack up in their tee-shirt sleeve to be extra cool. The majority of honest smokers will testify that their lighting up is nothing more than a bad habit, an addictive one at that.

For gals, smoking was supposedly sexy. For whatever reason I never saw things that way. Thankfully, I didn’t date a girl back then that was a nicotine addict. A friend once told me that kissing a girl that smokes is akin to kissing an ashtray. I wouldn’t know because I’ve kissed neither.

People oftentimes inherently adopt the ways of the world. I see younger folks these days doing more vaping over that of smoking. My guess being that they see this as cool, just as the younger generation did of smoking in the 1940s and 1950s.

Not only is it uncool, but I’d say that attempting to drive while looking through a cloud of vapor is downright dangerous. Once again, those continuing to vape have acquired a bad habit, an unhealthy and unsafe one to boot. Smoking and vaping aren’t the only bad habits that people pick up.

Sitting in the phlebotomy lab waiting room the other morning, I looked around at five other people needing their blood drawn, with all of them transfixed on their electronic devices. The only thing I could do to pass time was gaze down at my sandals, wondering if I should buy another pair. There’s significant wear in the soft leather underneath both big toes.

Much like smokers before ‘No Smoking’ signs appeared, I constantly witness folks in public, staring into their devices while walking, jogging, in restaurants, doctors’ offices, baseball and football games, and even driving. Without question, this activity rates up there with smoking and vaping as addictive.

One area in similarity between smokers and device users is lighting up after a meal. Now, instead of cigarettes and cigars, device addicts light up the flat screens on their handheld computers after eating for enjoyment or entertainment.

Just the other evening, I watched a group of five middle-aged hens doing just that as they chatted and sipped on their cocktails. The luminous glow from several smartphones being randomly checked could be seen on occasion, somewhat reminding me of the distinct glow from cigarettes being puffed on. The only thing missing was a bluish haze hovering over their heads.

In the 1930s thru 1940s, some doctors recommended smoking as a form of stress relief, going so far as to appear in advertisements advocating certain brands. It eventually came to light that they were handing out harmful advice.

Certain studies funded by tobacco companies in the 40s and 50’s showed that smoking was basically harmless, and that some brands were safer than others. Of course, the research firms undertaking these tests weren’t being paid to report anything bad.

Our own government did little to prove smoking was deadly, until cancer statistics started rising so fast amongst the smoking crowd that they couldn’t be kept under wraps. It wasn’t until 1957 that the surgeon general put out an official notice, warning of the dangers of tobacco use where certain cancers are concerned.

Telecommunication companies are now trying hard to disprove that radiofrequency Radiation (RF) from smartphones and iPods are harmful to users. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is going along with their biased and bogus studies, most likely because of the immense power of telecommunication lobbyists. Mega dollars distributed to government and political leaders are helping fuel that power.

On the other side of the street, private studies performed by scientists and medical experts, show their is a direct correlation between certain cancers and RF energy in rats and mice where overexposure is concerned.

Realizing that our government isn’t to be trusted with policies regarding my health, especially after Covid swept through town, I’ve elected to first pray about things, and then make pertinent decisions based on logic and pure science, instead of what the next politically influenced Dr. Fauci has to say.

Thus far, I’ve decided to forego smartphone or iPod use, just recently grudgingly opting for a compact flip phone instead. Purchased for emergency use only, I never have it on me unless of course I’m in the desert or traveling somewhere, and even then it’s in my backpack.

It appears to me that the world is trying to force people to have these fancy phones, undoubtedly for marketing and tracking reasons. Hey, they’re even giving them to those folks crossing the border. The abbreviation “app” is synonymous with smartphone.

As a Christian, I believe this phone craze is somewhat reminiscent of the Biblical, ‘Mark of the Beast’. There may come a day when all people are required to have the infamous app when purchasing certain items, namely food. I’ll leave the bulk of that controversial thought for theologians.

Monday morning while in a local grocery store, I spotted avocados on sale for .59 cents each. The limit was four. When I checked out, the total for these four avocados came to six bucks. Asking the cashier, “Why so high when they’re supposedly on sale?,” she then inquired of me, “Do you have the app?”

This wasn’t the first time I’d been asked such. A robot at McDonald’s drive-thru inquires all the time. I didn’t know what the app even was when first introduced and still don’t.

Over the past several years, I’ve mistakenly picked up items that were marked for sale, discovering at the checkout stand that I needed the app to get them for that special price. These days, I constantly look for this warning, but in the case of those avocados, the writing was miniscule enough for me not to see.

Telling a clerk that I didn’t have a fancy phone like most everyone does, she advised me, “You should think about getting one because you can save money using the app.” I didn’t inform her that 90% of my grocery purchases come from Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club, and Costco, and for now, these businesses don’t utilize discriminatory gimmicks like the app.

Watching so many people these days glued to their electronic devices, I wonder how healthy that activity is in comparison to tobacco use and vaping. You never hear our government leaders or doctors warning of the potential side effects, because a good majority of these folks are device users themselves. Some people I know, including family members, are habitually on their iPhones the minute they wake up until they go to bed.

Private research has proven that smartphones, iPods, and the like all give off small doses of radiation. At some point, ongoing scientific studies of placing these devices so close to the brain over long periods of time will be released. Most likely, the results won’t be pretty, especially where potential brain tumors and cancer is concerned.

Of course, not owning a device doesn’t make nonusers totally safe. With so many folks using these phones in close proximity, our being bombarded daily with secondhand RF radiation is undoubtedly doing some physical damage.

The next time someone in a grocery store asks me, “Do you have the app?,” I’ll have an immediate and confusing reply.

“No, thus far I’ve been able to avoid it, and for my health’s sake, I hope things stay that way!”