By Mr. and Mrs. Smith
Special to GUIDON

My roommate drives me crazy. The man is obsessed with his smart phone.  He is constantly walking around the room, staring at his cell phone. I know it’s not really any of my business, but what happened to courtesy? Shouldn’t a person be able to carry on a conversation without having to stare at their phone? He never helps do the dishes — scared he might miss something on Facebook. He even takes his phone to the bathroom. Should I talk to him about this? I feel like I carry the brunt of the work around here and just get plain out ignored. I am not asking for him to be my best buddy, but it would be nice for him to acknowledge my presence and help out around here. What should I do about this?

HE SAID:  It really doesn’t sound like this is about the phone as much as it is his failure to contribute in the workload.  It is perfectly reasonable for you to have a sit down discussion and decide on a division of labor … who has what chores if you will. You should both clean up after yourselves and you should be able to communicate about the goings on within the residence. If during this conversation he starts looking to his phone as a tool for avoidance, you have every right to request his full attention and ask him to put it down until the issue of chores is completed.

You are also right in the fact that you have no right to make him behave the way you think is appropriate or limit his social networking time as a courtesy to you. He no more has a right to make you spend more time engaging in these activities than you do to limit his. If he is attempting to carry on a conversation with you while doing things that cause his distractions, you have the right to withdraw from those interactions; telling him, “when you want to talk to me, I’ll be happy to do so, when you can carry on a conversation without distraction — until then, I don’t need the frustration of waiting for you to finish tweeting before you respond to me.”  

By Chap. (Capt.) Chad Davis
Special to GUIDON

The prolific writer Langston Hughes said this; “Hold fast to dreams for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.”  Does that sometimes feel like your life?

 When I hear these words I cannot help but to think that life is a journey of experiences, bringing both joy and sorrow. The reality is, we encounter pain and sorrow often right alongside our triumphs and accomplishments. The fact is, we live in a fallen world, and we suffer sometimes. 

Despite our efforts to live as gentle and moral people, there is no way to escape the polarities of life’s ups and downs. Many people who experience both the pleasures and the pains in their lives, find it difficult to cope, and try methods that are not always the best for themselves or those they love. I believe these experiences (no matter how difficult) could be a blessing; and they absolutely are when they lead us to a supreme discovery of our need for God.