The Machine Knows the Answer But You Forgot the Question

The kid at the bus stop was staring at his phone with the kind of concentration I used to reserve for figuring out which bar would let me run a tab. Thumbs moving fast, brow furrowed, completely absorbed in whatever the screen was feeding him. I almost said something. But who the hell am I to judge? I’ve been staring at screens too, reading about how staring at screens is making us all softer in the head.