Mobile phone or electronic leash?

Just as I drove away from my house to go and buy something yesterday, I remembered that I had left my mobile phone behind. For no reason I felt a tinge of guilt, as if I was expecting someone to call me. I'm sure many people feel the same way when they leave their phones behind. I think it is time we consciously break away from this electronic leash. We should be free to go anywhere without being connected. We don't need to be on call all the time. We should cherish moments of solitude and isolation; a quiet time when we can be by ourselves in our own space and time.

These days I often see people cradling their mobile phones as if it is the dearest companion in their lives. Even when people gather in a group, there will be someone who breaks out to make or answer a phone call every now and then. Perhaps people should start shutting down the phone at a fixed time every day. This will enable one to enjoy time with the family, or to socialize with friends without being interrupted by a phone call. A mobile phone should be just a means to make a call when you needed to. It should not be an electronic leash where you are expected to answer every call, failing which the caller starts to imagine the worst has happened to you.