Recently I
read a letter to the editor written by a 63-year-old woman in a newspaper. She
wrote:
“The other
day I was waiting for my turn at an otolaryngology clinic. There were many
patients there. An elderly woman came and said to the sign-in-desk clerk, “This
is my first visit here.” The clerk replied, “The morning sign-in has finished.
We will resume it at two o'clock in the afternoon. Please make an appointment with
a smartphone or a personal computer.” The woman replied, “I don’t have a smartphone
or a computer. Can I make an appointment for the afternoon now?” The clerk
said, “No, you can’t.” So, the woman left the dental clinic.
Later I learned
that this clinic does not accept telephone appointments, either. That means the
appointment is accepted only via the Internet.
I feel sorry
for the old woman. There are many aged people who cannot use the Internet. Clinics
should pay kind attention to such old people.
About 1000
years ago in Japan, it is said that if you do not belong to the Heika clan, you
are not a human being.” Today, the words have changed: if you don’t have a smartphone,
you are not a human being.
In the near
future, human beings will be controlled by smartphones. Oh, some of them have
already become smartphone slaves, haven’t they?