What object has the mystical ability to provide you with access to a whole new world, where you can read books, send messages or go online chatting, post pictures on social media platforms or watch TV Dramas anytime? What can entertain you day and night? Yes, you know the answer-your handphone.

Clearly, the handphone satisfies all our wants and needs, leaving us craving more. And over time as our days with this amazing pearl from technology melt into months and years, we become so intimate with our phones that the nature of our relationship morphs from one of functional to that of parasitic. According to a survey report by ConnectedLife, Singaporean youths spend an average of 3.4 hours a day on their phones. This may not seem like a big number to you, but think: what could you do in three hours? Cycling at the park with your family; revising your work; helping a friend with his work. Time wasted is life wasted.

Our phones now take on the antagonist’s role. When we try to engage in other activities, they blink their neon flashing lights non-stop, tempting us to give them one more click. We then watch our grades at school sink, our social skills plummet, our concern for others around us drop, sliced away from the real world, sliding into the digital one. Is the sacrifice worth it? No, phone addiction must come to a full stop today. How?

One way to stop addiction is to install applications to monitor the time you spend on your phone daily. You will find many mobile applications that help track the exact length of time you spend on your phone, notifying you if you exceed your targeted timing. A wake-up call, these alert you to become more self-aware of how long the daily phone usage is, and if you have already exceeded the limit. Each day you can start afresh with a new target, with a new sense of what you need to do (and what you do not).

Another method is to keep your phone switched off and to place it out of sight. Just as the common saying goes, “Out of sight, out of mind,” when you do not see that black screen, you will be less inclined to twitch and itch and check what is on the screen. Why shut it down? Well, when your phone is switched off, you would be unable to check it for updates so frequently, and hence less likely to keep pressing the ‘on’ button to read the message your friend just sent you, or the update on who just liked your post on social media. When switched off and kept away, the chances of you succeeding in what you need to focus on are higher. Although there may be a yearning for your phone, keep in mind the many different tasks you need to do instead and work on them. Procrastinate only on using your handphone; when you feel like turning it on and pulling down the notifications bar, smack your hand and tell yourself firmly, “Later!” These seeds of discipline, if grown into habits, will mature into a tree bearing much fruit.

There is one takeaway from the above two methods that effectively cuts the Gordian knot-busy yourself with other activities and push the complaints of the loss of bonding time with Mr. Smartphone out of your mind. After all, these joys are only short-term, and will be your regret in the long run. Now is the time to live your life like a human being. Be alive in this world, full of hopes and dreams, beauty and wonders. Taste the sweetness and bitterness of being human, and watch yourself grow into that tree. Cherish your youth while you can. You do not want to regret.

Oscar Wilde once said, “To live, is the rarest thing in the world. Most people just exist, that’s all.”

“My goal is that the City of Atlanta becomes the best place in the United States to raise a family,” says Mayor (市长) Andre Dickens about the capital of Georgia.

Dickens grew up in Atlanta. Recently, he was asked about his main goals for this city of nearly 500,000 people. His focus, he said, is on the youth. For that reason, he told the public officially 2023 is the Year of the Youth.

“Whatever we do, we have to think about young people,” Dickens said. “Atlanta’s young people are our future. Continuing to invest (投资) in future generations puts them on pathways to success that will help us move Atlanta forward together.”

Dickens said that after he put forward the idea of the Year of the Youth, businesses, nonprofits, and other community members all said, “I want to be in on that.”

Businesses offer summer internship (实习) programs. They allow students in Atlanta to get valuable experience in the workplace. Dickens explained that several businesses in the city even made their working environments suitable for young people to join in internships.

Improving education is another key goal. Schools and city leaders have been working together to make their partnership in the service of young people stronger. Toward this end, the city is working to improve educational opportunities, create safe ways to school, and offer after-school activities for free or at little cost.

Dickens also believes that it’s important to invest in early education. Investing in early education, he explained, means that more young people will be able to develop basic skills, stopping them from falling behind later in life.

Dickens is looking forward to positive results. “Everyone’s getting ready to serve the young people over the summer,” he said.

“Preventing obesity and smoking can save lives, but it doesn’t save money,”reported researchers. “ It was a small surprise, for it is against the common belief,” said Pieter van Baal, who led the study. “But it makes sense. If you live longer, then your costs of the health system will be more.”

The researchers found that from age 20 to 56, fat people had the most expensive health costs. But on average, healthy people lived 84 years. Smokers lived about 77 years, and fat people about 80 years. Smokers and fat people tended to have more heart disease than healthy people. Therefore, in the long run, the thin and healthy group spent about $417,000, from age 20 on. Smokers spent about $ 326,000 and fat people $371,000.

“The result throws a bucket of cold water onto the idea, based on guesswork, that obesity is going to cost trillions of dollars,” said Patrick Basham, a professor of health politics. “If we’re going to worry about the future of obesity, we should stop worrying about its financial impact,” he said.

“The benefit of obesity prevention may not be seen immediately in terms of cost saving in tomorrow’s budget, but there are long-term gains,” said Baal. “These are often immeasurable when it comes to people living longer and healthier lives.” In the meanwhile, he said that governments should recognize that successful smoking and obesity prevention programs mean that people will have a higher chance of dying of something more expensive later in life.

“Lung cancer is a cheap disease to treat because people don’t survive very long. But if they are old enough to get Alzheimer’s(早年性痴呆症) one day, they may survive longer and cost more. We are not advising that governments stop trying to prevent obesity,” Baal said.” But they should do it for the right reasons.”