Theme: Good choices

The new cell phone

Bruno was happy. He finally got a cell phone, which he wanted for a long time ago. He was playing with the device when his father came over to talk to him.

- Did you like it, son? - he said.

- I really liked it! Thanks Dad.

- Son, do you know why we waited to give you a cell phone?

- Because it's expensive, isn't it? - said the boy.

- The price also interferes, but our concern is that with a cell phone, you have the whole world in the palm of your hand.

- It’s true! This is great, dad!

- It's great if you behave like a bee. But if you do it like a fly, that's the problem.

- What? What do you mean? Asked Bruno, confused.

The father smiled and explained it to the boy:

- Bruno, all insects are God's creations and have an important role in nature. However, we can compare their behavior with human’s behavior. Bees and flies are free to fly and can visit the same environments. Bees are attracted to flowers, they spend time in the gardens, from flower to flower. In addition to pollinating, they collect nectar to produce honey, which feeds the entire hive. Flies, on the other hand, generally do not look for flowers. They look for things that we find unpleasant, like trash and rotten things. They can carry disease-causing bacteria. The bee can be compared to someone who seeks good things and produces what is useful and healthy for them. And the fly becomes the image of someone looking for unpleasant, wrong things that have evil as a consequence.

To conclude, the father also said:

- The internet brings you the world, with everything in it: very good things, others not so much, and things that are bad and even dangerous. You have to choose where to “land”, do you understand it?

The son nodded. But Bruno was used to thinking only of the good things that the internet brings, so he was surprised by his father's recommendation.

- Why do people put bad things on the internet, dad?

- Son, the bad things on the internet are the same things that exist in the world. Unfortunately, there are people who still promote evil, whether lying, cheating, scamming or even stealing. There are also people who like aggressive or embarrassing things and want to show it to others. But there are good things too! There are beautiful, funny, instructive things. You just have to choose well.

- But, Dad, how am I supposed to know, if what I'm seeing is good or bad? Asked the boy, a little worried.

- If it's good, it will give good results. If it’s bad, the consequences will also be bad. So, if you are seeing something that causes feelings like fear, sadness or shame, it shouldn't be a good thing. Any questions you have, your mother and I will be around - explained the father, smiling and ending the conversation.

Bruno started using his cell phone. In a short time, he was already communicating with friends and researching the information he needed. His parents, from time to time, read some conversations. Bruno didn't like it very much, but he knew they did it because they cared about him.

When Bruno was unsure about whether to accept an invitation or allow an application to be installed, he asked his parents for their opinion. Thus, with care, Bruno always managed to enjoy the best that the internet brings us.
 

Translation:
Larissa Martine - larissa_am@hotmail.com

marcelapradacontato@gmail.com