Quote Originally Posted by WalshFan88 View Post
Again, as I said in my last post - you do need to be present in conversation, in the place you are at, and mindful. But the other side needs to be respectful about how they go about showing their disdain for people. Otherwise we may just not go to dinner with you anymore and may remove the hassle altogether, and instead choose to sit at home and eat and yep - use our phone
Oh my gosh, this is such a sad statement, and you don't even realize it!

This is what I worry about. That people are so attached to their phones that if their friend has a problem with it, they would rather sever the friendship than try to work out their phone issues.... and wind up sitting alone at home with their phones 24/7... and not even realize they've lost something important.

You talk about a huge generation gap, but I'm in the generation that gets technology. I'm in that transitional generation - old enough to remember what it was like before the internet, young enough to love my smart phone and use it every day just like you do. My generation invented smart phones, texting, and social media. We were the first ones to use it and popularize it. I was using AOL message boards and AIM (AOL Instant Messaging) in the 90s. I was using Facebook when the site was only open to college students. But maybe this dual perspective allows me to understand that both have value and that you can't completely disconnect from the people physically around you in favor of the digital world. You need both.

How about this: "I don't agree with my friend and I think his attitude about phones is over the top, but I value my friendship with him. I'll humor him and put away my phone for 60 minutes while we eat." Is it really too high a price to pay?