I lost my mobile phone again on Saturday.
This makes the fourth time since December. It caused me pause for thought…
The first loss was as a result of my own stupidity (post GGD); the second, marital discord; the third, an act of petty sneak-thievery, but the fourth was undoubtedly more peculiar..I had a conversation whilst on a bus, and when next I checked, the handset was nowhere to be found…
In a post-Freudian analysis, one only loses things as a deliberate act; one unconsciously decides to rid oneself of the burden of life; of living. I don’t lose things as a general rule.
Can it be a coincidence that of late I’ve received a great deal of bad news via my mobile?
Loss, according to Old Faithful Wikipedia, relates to:
the death drive (“Todestrieb”) the drive towards death, destruction and non-existence. It was first proposed by Sigmund Freud in Beyond the Pleasure Principle.
Do I unconsciously equate my mobile phone with teh badness? Or am I just a slacker?
So I’m conducting an experiment: I shall live without a mobile phone for a week.
How inconvenient will this really be?
Will it, in fact, force me to:
a) turn up to appointments on time, without rescheduling or dallying
b) actually call the people I love instead of sending placatory but ultimately meaningless text messages
c) read great novels / listen to fascinating podcasts rather than noodling around on Twitter on my commute
d) learn to value my privileged ability to speak to whomsoever I choose, whenever I choose
I’ll let you know.
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