Technology is booming in our world. There is a gadget for almost anything you can think of to help you in your everyday life. It really is awesome that something exists to track your sleep, count a number of calories you burn in a day or keep you connected with the world. The fact that we have so many resources available to us is making many people rely too heavily on these electronics and, as a result, people are paying far less attention to the world around them. So many people are forgetting to appreciate their surroundings and to live in the moment. They are either too busy tweeting their clever thoughts or taking a photo at just the right angle of their picture-perfect setting in order to get the maximum number of likes on Instagram.
I admit that there are times when I am guilty of using and abusing the technology I have at hand. I, along with so many others, am not innocent of using technology too much.
If you go into any public place, you can witness it yourself.
I was watching a Yankees game on TV the other day and an instant replay showed a player at home base. In the background, you could see the fans in the stands behind the player. There were three people, sitting in a row, looking at their phones during the entire play. The batter even made contact with the ball at one point, causing that "crack-of-the-bat" sound to ring throughout the stadium, and still not one of the three fans reacted. Their eyes remained glued to their phone screens. I truly could not believe my own eyes. I think that was the best representation of what our world is coming to—life behind a screen.
Instances such as that one have really opened my eyes and have made me realize that I do not want to walk through my life unfazed by what is happening around me because I'm too busy checking my phone for notifications.
Amazing opportunities are waiting to be experienced in our lives, but we are all too preoccupied to take advantage of them.
In some cases, it can be downright rude to those around you to be so engulfed in your phone. I am a cashier at a grocery store and there are countless people who come through my line while talking on their phones the entire time. This is my biggest pet peeve. They do not stop to put the phone down, despite it only taking approximately one minute for me to check out their items. When I need to ask them a question regarding their groceries, I feel like a burden and often apologize for interrupting their conversation. In reality, though, they are the ones who should be apologizing.
I hate seeing a couple out to dinner and go without talking for nearly the entire meal because they are scrolling through their phones. Personally, I am sick of sitting around with people and whenever there happens to be a slight lull in conversation, everyone immediately sticks their noses in their phones.
I think it's time to do yourself and the people around you a favor and put the phone down. Take in your surroundings and appreciate the people around you.
Be present!
