This morning, Anele the DJ asked the city of Johannesburg whether they’ve ever spied on their significant others. One installed an app on her partner’s phone to track his location and listen in on his conversations. Another one shared her Apple ID with her boyfriend and he tracked her location. Another one installed an app on her partner’s phone to track his Whatsapp conversations. Another strung along her partner’s whereabouts based on his google search history. Another bought an old phone with a new sim card and put it in her boyfriend’s car to track his whereabouts.
Where do I even start? I am feeling a bit freaked out.
- How disturbing is it that we can be tracked and monitored with our smart phones? Maybe it’s time to turn our phones off when not in use.
- How sad is it that people have lost so much trust in their partner to resort to snooping their digital records?
- How sad is it that people don’t engage each other face to face to deal with issues?
- How sad is it that people stay in relationships that is so wrong for them?
- How sad is it that people are in relationships when they can’t even believe where the other person is going?
What is it for? What is the purpose of our relationships? Isn’t it to get happier? Isn’t it to spend time with someone we like, trust, and respect? Do we not care about their set of values? Do we not care about the types of people we let into our lives?
Everyone will agree that lying is wrong. No ifs and buts. So why are we with people whose words carry no value? Worst yet, whatever the reason behind the snooping… spying is wrong. It’s an invasion of another human’s right to privacy. Snoops claim they did so with good intentions, but they’re no better than their partners suspected of lying and cheating.
Maybe we’re afraid. We run from fear. We don’t want to do the hard part. We procrastinate.
But isn’t it better to fix what’s broken now and fix it, let it be, or replace it? I hope more people decide to turn off their phones. I hope more people sum up the courage to face their fears. I hope more people run towards the truths.