If you remember your mobile number, you are awesome.

If you remember your best friend's mobile number, congratulations! You are rare to find.

I come from the era of landlines. As a kid, I was used to running to a neighbour's house and informing them their relative called (and they would call in 5 mins, so they should cone with me).

I still remember those circular phones where you dialled each digit. Trust me, it was fun to dial a random number!

Then, we progressed. The phones could walk with us wherever we went within the house (cordless), then they could be taken out of the house/offices (mobile) and now they are a generic five to six inch black screens that come to life and our brains shut down at that minute.

Waiting for a friend at a restaurant, it is awkward sitting alone, watching people eat. So we take out our gadgets and start playing Candy Crush. Walking down the street looking straight at the path also feels awkward and we start looking at the screen.

The smart phone literally provides the world in the 200g box. There's everything available at touch of our fingers. We can whatsapp a friend across the continent, pay for purchases, look for meaning for unknown words and most of us, here, read and write on phones.

Every thing has become easy. A little too easy that our brains are lazing around. I can still remember my classmate's landline number (it's not in use now), but can't remember my best friend's current mobile number. I need to pull it from my phone's address book.

In the past, I would memorise the way to the grocery shop and back home. Now I rely on the Google maps, even for directions within the shopping mall.

I have met people who feel restless when they are not holding their phone. Two year olds cry for an iPad rather than a toy in the shop. Four year olds have to wear spectacles because their eyes have been spoiled by the long screen times while playing games.

People would rather type on their phones than write the key points on a sticky note. Most of us here type our stories, we don't write them.

I am working on a story called Cross Connection, when numbers are exchanged and two strangers are connected. Writing it made me question, have we really progressed and become smarter?

My answer is, no. Only our phones are smart and depending on them is reducing our mental capabilities.

Disclaimer: These are only my thoughts, my opinions and feelings from what I have witnessed.

The title is borrowed from a NatGeo show.