There are very few and far in between cigar shops in my area, so when I do go I choose to make it my “getaway”. As I’m sure most men and woman agree that a cigar lounge is one of the few places where you can have a cigar and maybe a drink to socialize with people who might share your interests. The problem I’m seeing is we as a people don’t talk to one another anymore because we have cell phones which helps us “get away” from it all.
The cigar and pipe smoking community cherish our privacy to enjoy our vice in peace. We also pride ourselves in our fundamental right to come together from all walks of life and have one special thing in common; our tobacco. You can read most online articles and watch the news to see that cigars have to ability to bring us tougher. So why is it that when we finally do “come together”, as it were, we decide to be on our cellphones and laptops instead of learning and sharing information about each other? We go through all this trouble of becoming part of a cigar lounge or tobacco shop, only to see everyone staring down at a little screen.
Keep in mind there is absolutely nothing wrong with looking at your screens. You may very well use that time for work, pleasure, or just a distraction from the outside world. My concern is that we as a culture are obsessed with that’s going on with our social media apps. We are checking it constantly, and it’s mentally unhealthy. Some of my close friends have come from meeting them in a local cigar lounge over a football game or some drinks. Not from staring at a screen, but from actually talking to another human being sitting right across from you or next to you. In fact that’s how I met the founder of Cigar Tipsters, Mark Jr. Although when we first met at our Tweetup Event in Chattanooga TN, he founded www.cigartipsters.com, and our online podcast. It is an electronic way for us to keep in contact with each other, and discuss topics related to what we are already passionate about. Using an electronic screen as a tool to convert your passion or passions into a public sharing forum, such as this one.
I find it to be much more stimulating to talk to someone about today’s topics rather than just reading about them. The cigar lounge is a perfect place to discuss almost any topic you want, from football to legal advice to electricians. It does’t matter, use the time in the cigar lounge to not only relax and enjoy your cigars, but also a place to make new friends. I would like to challenge you to something, the next time your are at a local cigar lounge, turn your cellphone off or on silent, ignore that part of your inne world, and talk to a complete stranger and you might be surprised what you find out.