スマホに釘付けは目を傷めやすい・・・脳への影響は未知

　目まぐるしい現代にあっても落ち着いた時間を確保し、読書を心掛けたいものです。今週は読書週間です。読書は新たな考え、新たな生き方との出会いです。現代はスマホでも本が読め便利です。

　それにしても、電車の中でも殆どの客はスマホを見てます。病院の待合室でも、患者はどこか苦しかったり痛かったりするわけですが、真剣な目つきで診察を受ける直前までスマホを見てます。特に子供は夢中で見てます。中には、一緒にいる母と子がそれぞれ別々にスマホを見てます。会話こそ大切なのに。

　先日は、誠に恐ろしい光景を目にしました。私が交差点で信号待ちしていた時です。大型トラックの運転者がその交差点をスマホを見ながら左折してました。もちろん片手運転です。大型トラックは内輪差が１mほどあり、右折左折時は歩行者が通過します。余程、目を配らなければ人や自転車を巻き込みます。

　私が庭で植物の世話していると、前の道を人が大きな声で話しながら通るので何気なく見ると一人で話しており、不思議な時代です。「歩きスマホ」は若い男女に多く、この光景を毎日見てると、将来の社会はどうなっていくのか心配です。という私もスマホを利用します。でも、注意し最低限の利用に留めてます。何事も安全第一で、有効利用です。スマホに集中した後は山など遠方の景色を暫く見ると、大切な目の回復に役立ちます。

　ところで、写真は枝垂れ桜の幼木です。まだ、半年もあるのに、すでに来春の蕾が膨らみ始めてます。私たちは高齢期になると、ややもすると目標・目的が薄らぎやすいです。桜の蕾のように半年後をめざし、健康面と内面で自分を高めたいものです。

Dear my friends who are crazy about cultivation of the mind and great music.

　The simultaneous interpretation into English for our mutual understanding will be done after my breakfast in Japan time.

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　Even in today's fast-paced world, it's important for us to set some quiet time and make an effort to read. This week is Reading Week in Japan. Reading is an encounter with new ideas and new ways of life. It's convenient that we can read books on smartphone nowadays.

　However, almost all passengers on train are looking at their smartphones. Even in hospital waiting room where patients are suffering from some kind of pain or discomfort, they are intently looking at their smartphones until just before the doctor's diagnosing. In particular, Children are completely engrossed. In some cases, the mother and child are each looking at their own smartphones separately. Yet, conversation is so important.

　The other day, I witnessed a truly terrifying sight. I was waiting at a traffic light at an intersection when a large truck driver turned left at the intersection while looking at his smartphone. Of course, he was driving with one hand. Large trucks have an inner wheel difference of about 1 meter, and pedestrians at the same time pass by when the truck turns right or left. If driver doesn't pay close attention, it could easily hit a person or a bicycle.

　When I'm taking care of plants in my garden, I often see people walking the path in front talking loudly alone, so that when I casually look, he is talking to himself. It became a strange era. Many young men and women are "walking while using their smartphones," Seeing this situation every day makes me worry about this society's future. As fact, I also use a smartphone, but I'm careful and limit my usage to the bare minimum. Safety first in everything, and effective use is key. I am of the opinion that after concentrating on smartphone, it is effective to look at distant scenery such as mountains for a while. That helps to restore our precious eyesight.

　By the way, the photo is of a young weeping cherry tree in my garden. Although there are still six months to bloom, the buds for next spring are already starting to swell. At the same time, as we get older, our goals and objectives tend to become less clear. Like the cherry blossom, we should aim for six months from now and strive to improve ourselves both physically and mentally.