My Dad, 18 years old, U.S. Navy When I was young, the cool looking thing to do was posing with a cigarette in your hand. People were addicted to that look and to the tobacco stimulant called nicotine.
Fortunately, I had a strong role model, I had a father. He smoked when young and in the Navy, but quit when the facts became available on all the damage cigarettes did to your health. Nevertheless, he knew I saw many people still smoking around me and I would need to make my own decision. My dad told me never to accept a "smoke" from someone else and when I wanted to try a cigarette, just to let him know and he would get me one to try. I was ten when I said to my father that I wanted to try one. As promised, he acquired a cigarette from my grandfather who still smoked.
Fortunately, I had a strong role model, I had a father. He smoked when young and in the Navy, but quit when the facts became available on all the damage cigarettes did to your health. Nevertheless, he knew I saw many people still smoking around me and I would need to make my own decision. My dad told me never to accept a "smoke" from someone else and when I wanted to try a cigarette, just to let him know and he would get me one to try. I was ten when I said to my father that I wanted to try one. As promised, he acquired a cigarette from my grandfather who still smoked.
My Dad Looking Cool Smoking My dad and I went to our apartment's front gate for the first floor that was under the stoop. There we had some open airflow through the gate and yet, some privacy. He lit the cigarette and told me how to take a puff or drag. I don't remember which, but I do remember that I started coughing immediately. I appreciated the privacy in that basement gate entrance and asked my father why I was coughing. After all, I didn't see my grandfather coughing when smoking. Yes, he did cough a great deal, but not when smoking. My father communicated very wisely to me by saying. "William, your body is trying to tell you something. This was the first time you are smoking and your body is saying with each cough, that this isn't good, don't do this. However, if you keep smoking, eventually your body will give up trying to warn you and you will stop coughing." My dad also said, "Smoking or putting anything else into your body (at the time I didn't realize my dad was referring to drugs) will become a crutch. Do you want to walk through life with a crutch or do you want to walk and run with your own two feet?"
Needless to say, I never smoked anything in my life. Sadly, the smoking addiction caused my grandfather to pass away from emphysema. My dad, since he quit smoking before I was born and his body had the time to heal, he is still with me today. A World War Two Vet still trying to make sense of this world on another Memorial Day.
Needless to say, I never smoked anything in my life. Sadly, the smoking addiction caused my grandfather to pass away from emphysema. My dad, since he quit smoking before I was born and his body had the time to heal, he is still with me today. A World War Two Vet still trying to make sense of this world on another Memorial Day.
Today, we still need to make sense of many things. One is the fact that there are almost 7 billion subscribers to cell phones and only an estimated 4 billion people have a working toilet available for their use! We have gone from one addiction known as holding a cigarette in our hands to a new addiction where we hold a cell phone in our hands.
Both addictions cause health problems. Now with cell phones, we must evaluate the data on EMFs aka Electromagnetic Radiation, and how that can be a problem. I am not going to cite all the studies or harms caused or not caused by EMFs, but when there is information that DNA repair can be disrupted from EMF exposure, I know we must communicate better. In addition to all that, since the addiction to cell phones, we have also seen our youth develop problems tenfold with socializing face to face, critical thinking, focusing on one element until completed, listening skills and having an ability to communicate respectfully. None of which is caused by EMFs, but by the addiction to using cell phones multiple hours per day.
Perhaps we all should try to do the following:
- Keep track of your daily use in hours.
- Keep the cell phone out of your pockets, put them in a car holster or pocket book.
- Use the speaker all the time.
- Do not hold the phone to your ear.
(Research shows a fourfold increase in cancer of the parotid gland located by your cheek from 1970 to 2006)
- If you are unable to use the speaker because other people are around, then text the following answer...
"I will call you back later"
- DO NOT let children play or entertain themselves with your cell phone. Be involved with your kids, like my father was, all those years ago with cigarette smoking.
- Turn Off the cell phone more often so no EMFs are transmitted.
- Don't keep the cell phone by your head when sleeping.
- Make sure you have good reception so your cell phone is transmitting at a lower power level and with less EMFs.
One major thing we could do to help us put this in perspective is to ask ourselves a question. How long do we talk to other people face to face and how much time do we spend praying to God compared to how much time we spend talking or texting on our cell phone?
Trusting we all can have a blessed Memorial Day with all the facts.
Bill Lauto, at GoingTrueGreen.com
Environmental Scientist
International Sustainability and Energy Consultant
Contribute your comments!
Both addictions cause health problems. Now with cell phones, we must evaluate the data on EMFs aka Electromagnetic Radiation, and how that can be a problem. I am not going to cite all the studies or harms caused or not caused by EMFs, but when there is information that DNA repair can be disrupted from EMF exposure, I know we must communicate better. In addition to all that, since the addiction to cell phones, we have also seen our youth develop problems tenfold with socializing face to face, critical thinking, focusing on one element until completed, listening skills and having an ability to communicate respectfully. None of which is caused by EMFs, but by the addiction to using cell phones multiple hours per day.
Perhaps we all should try to do the following:
- Keep track of your daily use in hours.
- Keep the cell phone out of your pockets, put them in a car holster or pocket book.
- Use the speaker all the time.
- Do not hold the phone to your ear.
(Research shows a fourfold increase in cancer of the parotid gland located by your cheek from 1970 to 2006)
- If you are unable to use the speaker because other people are around, then text the following answer...
"I will call you back later"
- DO NOT let children play or entertain themselves with your cell phone. Be involved with your kids, like my father was, all those years ago with cigarette smoking.
- Turn Off the cell phone more often so no EMFs are transmitted.
- Don't keep the cell phone by your head when sleeping.
- Make sure you have good reception so your cell phone is transmitting at a lower power level and with less EMFs.
One major thing we could do to help us put this in perspective is to ask ourselves a question. How long do we talk to other people face to face and how much time do we spend praying to God compared to how much time we spend talking or texting on our cell phone?
Trusting we all can have a blessed Memorial Day with all the facts.
Bill Lauto, at GoingTrueGreen.com
Environmental Scientist
International Sustainability and Energy Consultant
Contribute your comments!
