September 19, 2014 8:25 AM EDT
F rom time to time, great swaths of humanity are united by one common purpose—to fritter away what time they have left on Earth standing or sitting or sleeping in a line to get Apple’s latest iPhone. Today, which marks the release of Apple’s iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus , is one of those days.
The conventional wisdom in these modern times says we’re too busy, pulled in different directions, frantically running from task to task in our over-connected, over-digitized lives.
But today, from Kentucky to Kansas, from Canada to Germany and across the globe humans are taking a stand that says, “No! We are not slaves to the rat race. See? We’re waiting in line for ungodly spans of time to be first to get a marginally better tiny computer because we literally have nothing better to do.”
This is how you know the apocalypse is near:
Then, in the distance, a voice of sanity, a ray of hope for humankind:
See the World Await and Celebrate Apple's iPhone 6 People pass time as they wait outside an Apple store for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus in London on Sept. 17, 2014. Lefteris Pitarakis—AP People wait in line in front of the Apple Store in Tokyo on Sept. 18, 2014. Yuya Shino—Reuters A man sleeps in a tent in the queue outside an Apple store in London on Sept. 18, 2014. Justin Tallis—AFP/Getty Images A man wearing a replica of an iPhone 6 Plus model on his head yawns while waiting in front of an Apple Store in Tokyo on Sept. 19, 2014. Yuya Shino—Reuters A woman sleeps in a chair as she waits in queue outside the Apple store in London on Sept. 18, 2014. Justin Tallis—AFP/Getty Images A staff member removes a display poster of iPhone 5S at an Apple store in Tokyo on Sept. 18, 2014,. Yuya Shino—Reuters Customers queue outside an Apple store in Hong Kong on Sept. 19, 2014. Xaume Ollerose—AFP/Getty Images Ken Miyauchi Vice President of Softbank, Japanese mobile phone company and actress Sayaka Kanda, in a pink dress, react during a ceremony to mark the first day of sales of the latest iPhone 6 and 6 Plus at a store in Tokyo on Sept. 19, 2014. Shizuo Kambayashi—AP After being first in line for 19 days, Moon Ray, from Jackson, Miss. runs the gauntlet of Apple store workers as she enters the Fifth Avenue Apple store in New York on Sept. 19, 2014. Peter Foley—EPA Apple store staff high five customers as they enter an store in Tokyo on Sept. 19, 2014. Chris McGrath—Getty Images A man wearing a mask depicting Apple's co-founder Steve Jobs holds up a cardboard cut-out of Apple's new iPhone 6, as he walks into an Apple Store in Tokyo on Sept. 18, 2014. Yuya Shino—Reuters Andreas Gibson celebrates as he exits an Apple store in New York after being the first to purchase an iPhone 6 Plus on Sept. 19, 2014. Julie Jacobson—AP Jamael Ahmed jumps in the air as he leaves the store after being the first to purchase the iPhone 6 at Apple Covent Gardens in London on Sept. 19, 2014. Ben A. Pruchnie—Getty Images More Must-Reads from TIME Donald Trump Is TIME's 2024 Person of the Year Why We Chose Trump as Person of the Year Is Intermittent Fasting Good or Bad for You? The 100 Must-Read Books of 2024 The 20 Best Christmas TV Episodes Column: If Optimism Feels Ridiculous Now, Try Hope The Future of Climate Action Is Trade Policy Merle Bombardieri Is Helping People Make the Baby Decision