Sorry to hear about your financial circumstances. However, not everyone lives in such dire financial straits.
I didn't mean to sound as if I was complaining; I took a job with a small, Christian, non-profit organisation and knew going in that it would require a life-style adjustment in terms of what I could and couldn't afford. Any financial shortfall was more than made up for by working with wonderful people and helping in a worthwhile cause, and I stayed with that outfit for 15 years serving in a variety of capacities. I put off putting a phone in my home long after the point I could comfortably afford it simply because I enjoyed
not having one (no one could complain about my not answering my phone when I didn't have a phone to answer). Work conditions with respect to hours and flexible schedules eventually made it necessary to have the quick, easy communication that a home phone provided.
When I think of all the things my smart phone can do, it's nothing short of amazing. In fact, talking on the phone is actually one of the least things I do with it! Amazingly, even if my phone didn't have voice calling, it'd still be an incredibly useful, indispensable and worthwhile device to have. Doing voice calls is just an added bonus! So to hear you say of your phone: "it sits on my desk at home where it belongs", is just sad.
I think it's great that you and others enjoy your smart phones and all the things they can do for you, and you've painted a clear and compelling picture of how your life is enhanced by all its capabilities, but please don't think it sad just because others don't share your enthusiasm for them. Talking on the phone, reading and writing e-mails, looking up information on the web, etc., etc., are all tasks I simply prefer to do at home. I've thought it "sad" that there are people who seem uncomfortable leaving these things behind when they go out, but perhaps it's really just a matter of their choosing, like I have done, where and when they want access to this technology.
