When my parents were growing up, they weren't allowed inside until the street lights came on, which I'm sure many people in my generation can say the same about their own parents. I think it's funny how absurd this seems now, considering most people my age couldn't imagine spending an entire day interacting with people solely through in-person interaction.
Most of my friends got iPod touches, tablets, or maybe even the occasional cell phone at a very young age. Instead of walking around the block to our friend's houses we'd send texts or message each other through whatever app was on trend at the time (I specifically remember Kik being popular when I was in middle school). From there we moved on to Facebook and then to Instagram to keep up with what everyone was doing. I know that I'm just stating facts that everyone already knows, but just because we know these things doesn't mean we've stopped to take a minute and decide if this is a real problem or not.
I'll never forget one of the sleepovers I had at my house in the sixth grade. My friends and I planned on watching Paranormal Activity 3 and doing whatever else 11-year-old girls do. Before we started the movie, my parents put our electronics in a basket and took it to their room. Some of the girls got upset, but my parents told us something that stuck with me: "Be with the friends that you're with." Without a doubt, had we all kept our little distraction devices on us we would have scrolled until we ran out of posts to like or took selfies acting like we were having more fun than we actually were. If you deep dive into any of our Facebook accounts you'll know that those things embarrassingly did happen sometimes, but this particular night we were able to really enjoy the time we spent together and even learned things we didn't know about each other.
My generation has been tricked into doing things not for the experience, but rather for the photos. We go to beautiful places to get the perfect picture of us laughing with our friends somewhere our followers wish they could be. But after the image is taken and the moment passes, how often do we really appreciate what we just encountered? Do we give a second thought to the happiness we could have felt if we set down the camera and took in our surroundings?
There is beauty in every moment and every scene around us. Your best friend laughing at a dumb joke you made, the realization that everyone in your history lecture is experiencing something unique in their lives, an auditorium full of students coming together to worship our God. While your joke might have been halfwitted, lectures can be extremely boring, or maybe new in your faith and aren't yet comfortable worshiping through song, the only way we are able to fully experience what each instant has to offer is to put our phones away for a second and pay attention to those around us. Asking people around you about their lives, noticing the details that seem insignificant, and being present in your encounters with others will open your eyes to the magnificence that you are already surrounded by.
