Group Discussion Switch Off Phones

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The potency of the human mind is at its peak and glory in toddlers and their experiments: trying out things, falling down then come up with a fresh strategy on how to climb that chair or push their own stroller.

The mind is like manual driving. You have the clutch, five gears, break pads and a round thing called the steering wheel. How you press the clutch and change gears depends on road conditions, something my driving instructor in Toronto Ontario, drummed into me until I got my licence.

We have burnt that licence to drive through mountains, valleys and life’s icy streets because we have Yahoo or Google. It is quite disturbing in group discussions at work, church and wellness circles.

Before COVID-19, we belonged to certain spaces that we felt could empower us academically, professionally or health-wise. For some group members, such spaces are the only forum where they have a voice, because of oppressive home fronts.

It is therefore debilitating to see cellphones used as mouthpieces, if we can put it like that. The discussion is in progress. The group tries to remember the year a particular song hit the airwaves. ‘I’ll Google it,’ says the online expert.

The discussion is put on hold while she is on cyberspace. A certain book was banned and group members try to remember when that happened. They each share memories where they were or what was happening in their lives when the book was pulled off the shelves.

‘I’ll Google it,’ says the online expert. The presence of cellphones in group discussion overlooks one thing, all group members could have done their own online research. They came here to share.

They left the comfort of their homes to come and interact with other human beings and oil their minds in the process. They came to think, remember and to talk about how they feel about the group’s mission statement.

The online expert’s foray into her cellphone means group members should attend meetings, but leave their ability to think at home. Why worry? ‘I’ll Google it.’

By: Nonqaba waka Msimang.

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