This past weekend I had dinner with a friend. While we were sitting there I noticed that he had a tendency to check his blackberry every few minutes to respond to emails and texts. I didn’t mind, but every time he reached for his blackberry, I felt I should reach for my Iphone. What was I suppose to do in that awkward silence? Has checking our emails over our phones become the equivalent of smoking? Are our smart phones our social crutch? If it was 1950, maybe I would have lit a cigarette as my dinner mate read a note handed to him by a waiter in a black suit. Instead now, I just slid open my Iphone and responded to a text I had gotten earlier.
I guess I’m old fashioned in a way that when I’m spending time with someone I don’t try to do other things. As a jeweler, we come to see the world in a materialistic way. Stone, designs, jewelry all have a price and the more you want them, the more they are worth. As a jeweler, you’re surrounded with all the beautiful things you can buy. But if you take a step back you realize that there are things you can’t ever buy. There is one thing that is the rarest and most priceless-more priceless than the largest blue diamond or the longest yacht. It’s your time.
Funny thing is, none of us know how much of it we have. We work for years, build houses, and plan for a future that might never happen. There’s no way around it either. Still, we shouldn’t try to go through the motions. Take time to enjoy a simple meal with a friend without worrying about what email you just received. I can just hear people clamoring to say “But, It’s for work!”. I know, I understand. Relax.
-Misha Gupta
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