paper rocks scissors

It's almost late but not late enough to catch dinner at a restaurant. A family eatery, not where you go up to the counter, but have a server bring you refills and takes your order.
 

I'm facing Heather and behind her there sit two grandparents with two grand kids, a boy and a girl.
The children seem to be of ages six and eight. They engage in physical activity. They show embrace to the little ones. They sit and talk and give their attention to them as if on a date with their grand kids. I'm assuming the parents to the kids also enjoyed the evening off. They show love towards their elders as their elders do to them.  Next time I look up she is playing paper rocks scissors with her granddaughter. They stop to giggle at who won. They do this a few more times then I leave them be.

Across a table from them a father, a mother, and two teenagers I'd say ages twelve and fourteen sit.
They haven't made eye contact. They probably don't bother to ask dad how his day was from working and what mom did while they were at school or vice versa. It was just your typical evening dinner. No laughter, no communication, just all glued to their devices in their hands. You see the dad look at his daughters then look up to a blank stare. I wonder if he is thinking I hope my food comes quickly. Then slowly he begins to also share the same interest and looks down at his device. His girls are growing up without even knowing how to hold a conversation with another individual.

Have we failed ourselves by allowing us to be that boring that we have to see what others are doing just to survive.

I've been out with family and friends and I do observe who picks up the phone and wonder are you that bored with my presence that I end up having to repeat what I just said. How about saying something so meaningful to me that I want to see a reaction of what I've said but get nothing because what a total stranger said was more important than what I had to say.

Sorry I went of into a personal vent there. Generations today probably wouldn't know what its like to play paper rock scissors because they know more about the fakeness that social media really is.

I'd want that grandparents feeling at that table, the purity of innocence that the world is slowly losing more than anything, at times especially when people make me sick. I find myself slowly deteriorating life with others just to be true to myself.

Play that game next time you are in company of others, see who picks up that device first. Try to say something while making sure they have your undivided attention other than being that bored of yourself.