The other night, I took my wife out on a date. We ended up seated next to a couple of twentysomethings. For three quarters of the event, the young man was completely absorbed with texting on his smartphone, ignoring the entertainment, his date, and us, for that matter.
That reminded me of a night my wife and I spent on the shore of Lake Como, in northern Italy. Tourguides refer to this region as "the heart of Italian romance"; it's easily one of the most breathtakingly beautiful locations I have ever seen. The evening was clear, and we had finished an excellent meal prepared in a local restaurant. The sun shone golden rays upon the distant fairytale towers of the famous Villa del Balbianello. Tame swans on the shore honked gently and jostled for bits of bread thrown by tourists.
The Italian locals all came out dressed in their finest evening wear, as is their custom. Watching the Italians from this region enjoy a night out on the town was like watching a fashion show with Brioni, Gucci, Prada, and Versace all on display.
My wife and I shared the gorgeous sunset quietly together. Nearby a handsome young Italian man and his date were sitting on a quaint stone bench, enjoying the same sight. Then, the fellow's cel phone rang, and he spent the next half an hour focussed entirely on that. His comely date just sat and waited for him to finish. Waited and waited.
Honestly, with so many beautiful women in the world languishing on benches in the sunset being barely attended to by anybody at all, I do not understand the allure of mobile phones.
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