We all do it. We make plans to hang out with our friends, and instead of talking to them, we're busy on our phones. Instead of having a real conversation, we talk about things we see on social media. "Oh my god, this is so funny, you have to watch it." "I can't believe this, you have to go look at what they posted on Twitter." "Did you see that pic she posted on Instagram?" Our conversations have been over-shadowed by social media; but it's not just that, it's technology in general. Like I said before, we all do it. I've sat there with a group of friends, and instead of talking to them, I'll be texting other people, or scrolling through Twitter. It happens all the time and we're all guilty of it. Quite honestly, it's terrible and it's sad. Technology has taken over our relationships and it's our job to get back to reality.
When was the last time you didn't have your phone on you? When was the last time you had a conversation with someone, without checking your phone? For some people, this isn't even possible. Where have the days gone where we sat down and had a real conversation? When will we disconnect from our smartphones? When will we realize that these smartphones are making us dumber, and anti-social? We don't appreciate people the way we should, simply because of our phones. We ignore the ones we love because we're too obsessed with something intangible. We're obsessed with checking social media, messages, and pictures. We see something happening and we immediately take our phones out to record it. We explore nature, and instead of embracing it, we take pictures of it. Why can't we just enjoy the moment? Why does everything have to be posted on social media?
I hate to admit it, but sometimes things have to happen before you realize how bad they really are. One day, while visiting home, I was sitting on my couch. I had my phone in hand, my laptop open, and the T.V on. I saw my dad sitting in the patio, and he was simply enjoying himself. I decided to go outside and join him. I didn't even think to bring my phone or my computer. I just got up, walked outside, and sat down. I had a really nice conversation with my dad. We talked about his work, my school, our home, our futures, and even our passions. My mom even ended up coming outside, and she sat with us too. I kept thinking to myself how nice it was that I was just sitting outside with my parents without my phone. I didn't even want to grab my phone. I just wanted to sit outside and spend quality, face-to-face, technology free time with my parents, and that's exactly what I did. After a while, we started getting tired. When we walked into the house, we checked the time and realized we had been sitting outside for three hours, just talking.
We didn't need our phones to keep us entertained. We didn't need the T.V playing in the background. We didn't need anything but each other. Sometimes, in life, we have to realize that the people around you are more important than the texts coming through your phone, or the drama happening on social media. The conversations that come from our heart are more valuable than the ones we get from Facebook. As a generation, we need to start appreciating face to face interaction. We need to stop communication simply through phones. We need to start sitting down with our friends and families, instead of our tablets and smartphones. We need to leave our phones in our room when we're eating dinner. We need to stop checking our phones when someone is speaking. We need to learn some respect. So, next time you're with your loved ones, please, put the phone down.
