- If it is of a private nature, and you cannot whisper, you need to wait for another opportunity to talk of it;
- If you already are in a conversation with someone in front of you, interrupting said conversation should be for good reason;
- There are times for speaking, and times for silence. It’s beneficial in life to know which has priority.

I completely agree with you about cell phones. They encourage the rude, the self-absorbed, the indecisive, and the procrastinator to be more ill-mannered, less attentive, completely infantile and utterly irresponsible.

Exactly!

I completely agree with you about cell phones. They encourage the rude, the self-absorbed, the indecisive, and the procrastinator to be more ill-mannered, less attentive, completely infantile and utterly irresponsible.

They now complain that I never switch my cell phone on.

I tell them that, when I need to use it, I turn it on.

Anyway, yes exactly Lynx. It’s extremely annoying.

I am the happy owner of a cellphone and I find them VERY useful. In my work, where I do need to be reachable but am not always in my lab. In social situations there are many circumstances where a cellphone is useful, not the least of which is “damn, the bus is in traffic, go ahead without me I’ll meet you there” or “I’m lost! I’m in front of a big Cocacola sign and the signpost says High street, where are you?”.

Yes people lived before cellphones, and before internet and landline phones and cars and any number of things. Cellphones are not THE revolutionary invention of the century, but they ARE useful.

I will give you this though Michael, nothing more annoying than being stuck in public transportation (or a bar) with someone sharing his life on the phone for all to hear. Madrid wants to make cellphones reachable in our Metro, most people are opposed.