He was probably 12 or 13, and swept right off the sidewalk
from an intersecting street. I saw him in the nick of time and took evasive steering and braking action, averting a collision between my car and his body and bike. The kid carried on his sweet way with his mobile music device buds in his ears, as though nothing had happened. The sidewalks and roads were all his.
The adrenalin rush hadn’t quite settled down before a youngster
on a skate board flipped it on the sidewalk and stumbled onto the road.
An automobile takes a corner ungainly and wide. The driver, steering
with one hand, holds a phone at the ear. Another driver’s eyes are down, peering at a
smart phone screen, thumb flicking out a text message.
You’ve seen them—skaters ghosting along on roller blades, youths
careening down the road on skateboards, longboards and bikes, staring blankly ahead,
preoccupied with whatever’s coming through their mobile sound system ear buds. And I suspect some joggers too, get lost in a
world of intimate sound.
Several weeks ago I witnessed a car come crashing down on
its roof after slamming into a stationary vehicle, in broad daylight. The
driver’s life was spared, but she was charged with careless driving. It’s
believed that the woman had been texting or otherwise using a mobile phone, while
accelerating after leaving an intersection. That’s eyes down danger!
Little babies and toddlers with "eyes-down moms" can be put in very
real danger. Have you seen this sort of scenario?: A mom’s conversing or dialing
on her mobile phone—or worse, texting—while pushing a baby stroller. She arrives
at the kerb, but is preoccupied with twiddling her thumbs over the touchpad, and
her eyes are down. Her attention’s not on the child or the traffic conditions.
She dips the buggy onto the road and saunters out.
At that moment a driver swerves to avoid hitting them. Next,
a vehicle comes round a corner and barely misses the baby buggy bearing its precious
cargo. The mom jabbers away, crossing towards the other side, pushing her
infant’s carriage ahead of her, oblivious to the fact she’s placing the child
in danger. Her baby is first on the road
and in the primary position of danger.
Of course, operating a mobile phone and texting can be done
safely. Unfortunately, many people use this useful tool in unwise and
inappropriate ways.
We can go about our lives with our spiritual eyes down. Putting
much of our focus on the trivial and minutiae of life, we can become unaware of
either the blessings around us or the potentially harmful situations we may
stumble into.
Let us raise our gaze from the incidental to the
transcendent, as we make our way through life. This can help us avoid unnecessary
danger, while enjoying life and appreciating and sharing its blessings.
Isn’t that also a necessary approach in regard to developing
and maintaining healthy relationships, and nurturing our spiritual and moral
life—to focus on where we’re headed and yet be aware while on the journey?
“We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who
initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured
the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor
beside God’s throne” (Hebrews 12:2 NLT).
~~+~~
Peter A.
Black is a freelance writer in Southwestern Ontario, and is author of “Parables
from the Pond” – a children's / family book (mildly educational, inspirational
in orientation, character reinforcing).
His inspirational column, P-Pep! appears weekly in The Guide-Advocate. His articles have appeared in 50 Plus Contact and testimony, and several newspapers in Ontario.
Peter A.
Black is a freelance writer in Southwestern Ontario, and is author of “Parables
from the Pond” – a children's / family book (mildly educational, inspirational
in orientation, character reinforcing).His inspirational column, P-Pep! appears weekly in The Guide-Advocate. His articles have appeared in 50 Plus Contact and testimony, and several newspapers in Ontario.
~~+~~
1 comment:
This comment has been removed by the author.
Post a Comment