Warning: Long post, a moderate amount of complaining, and a lot of made up words. Precede if you’re brave!
I hate sitting at a table with my soccer team, while every single one of them has her phone out—texting or facebooking or playing a game. Instead of enjoying the moment they are in with the people they are with, it is as though they are trying to find somewhere better to be (albeit, cyberspacially). They are always looking for someone more interesting to talk to, updating their statuses to some inane detail that no one cares about. Honestly, I am sick of it. I don’t want to sit at a table full of people that act as though they wish they were somewhere else (even though if they were with whoever they are texting, I’ve no doubt that they would find someone else to text or facebook).
But contrary to how they act, I know that the majority of the people I’m talking about don’t actually wish that they were somewhere else. Maybe it is an issue of restlessness, of constantly needing new stimulus. Maybe they just really miss whoever it is they are texting (I doubt it). Maybe it is that they want to feel important, they enjoy knowing that someone is spending time on them. Maybe they don’t want to be the only person at the table without a phone in hand. Maybe they don’t remember how to interact face-to-face, so they avoid the situation they are in, and fill the interactual void by being on their phones. I have no idea, but I must admit—I do it too.
Lately I have felt far too dependant on technologized people. It is one thing to Skype a friend in Scotland, or talk to my mom on the phone. But here is where I draw the line: I was hanging out with a bunch of friends last Saturday, and a boy I am kind of interested in was there. Now, I’m far from what many might call ‘forward’. In fact, I’m quite shy. And instead of talking to said boy and enjoying his company, I found myself kind of avoiding him all night. Then, once I left the party, can you guess what I did? I texted him. Ooooooook. Who does that? Someone that finds comfort in the space between phones, between computers. Or maybe a middle-schooler.
Anyways, a week or so ago, I deleted my Facebook. Or deactivated it, rather. (This was before that little anecdote occurred). To be honest, I deleted it for completely different reasons than I outlined above. I was simply spending too much time on it. There were books I wanted to read, daily blog posts that I was (maybe) posting weekly, scholarship applications I wanted to fill out, people I wanted to hang out with, homework to be done, pictures to paint—the list of things I could do with my evenings in endless. But the list of what I was doing with my evenings was short: soccer, Facebook, Hulu. So I said adios, and I am glad. I don’t plan on having it gone forever, but at least for awhile.
Anyways, here is the challenge for the weekend:
Challenge for Day #258-Day #261, September 16-September 19: Use technology to communicate as little as possible. When you need to talk to someone, use this chatting hierarchy: 1.In person 2. On the phone 3.Messenger pigeons 4.Singing telegram 5.Texting. Don’t have your phone out at dinner—in fact, turn it off as often as possible. Don’t maintain a cyber-conversation while in the middle of a real conversation. Be respectful of other people, and try to get your kids or bratty teenage daughter to do the same! Spend some time alone, without constant communication. And most of all, enjoy the people that are around you and the moment you are in! I personally, am traveling to South Dakota tomorrow for soccer, and I’ve decided to leave my phone at home all weekend. Four days with no cell phone and no Facebook will certainly be good for me!
