Most of our personal lives revolve around a piece of technology that we can hold in the palm of our hand. Need entertainment? Someone to talk to? A planner? What about all three at once?! That's what our phones are for. They instantly connect us to the outside world and almost immediately detach us from the real world.
As much as I love having a cell phone and the ability to connect to anyone, anywhere in the matter of seconds, I don't love how it has affected the way in which we interact with one another.
I cannot count how many times I've had people run into me because they are too busy looking at their phones.
Seriously. At least twice a day on my walk to class, I have had people run right into me because they are looking down rather than up. I can admit that I, too, have problems with the amount of time spent on my phone. With the newest iPhone update, you are even given the amount of time you've been looking at the screen. I have definitely fallen guilty to that number being alarmingly high.
If there is one thing that upsets me the most about our society being so consumed in the virtual world, it's how much we are all missing in the real world. Not only are we missing true human interaction, but we're missing the little things that some of us may never normally see the beauty in.
The next time you are on a walk through the city, or even to class, look up. Not just in front of you, but up at the buildings and the clouds.
This building may seem ordinary, but look at the way in which the blue coordinates with the sky! Photo by Katherine Jones (@katherinejonezzz)
These large buildings may seem ordinary. But when you take the time to look at them, they are pieces of art themselves.
During a car ride, stop scrolling through the same three feeds the entire time.
Look out the window and check out any oddballs nature might be throwing our way. You might see a beautiful tree you've never noticed. In the spring, cherry blossom leaves could fake your eyes into seeing snowflakes. Summer rain could make a pattern right before you, or there could even be a rainbow. No matter the season, nature may have a surprise in store for you to see.
Sunsets on fences - there's something so special about them. Photo by Katherine Jones (@katherinejonezzz)
Stop documenting every moment on Snapchat or Instagram.
I understand that it's nice to have those memories to look back on later, but some of the best memories happen off-camera. The whole line "snap it or it didn't happen" proves that our generation is so caught up in what we look like online, we can't even go a day without proving one's social status through a social media site.
If you get to class early, don't scroll through Twitter or Instagram for that ten minutes of time.
Start some homework, or talk to others around you (if you're in the mood to - it varies from day to day for me). You may meet people you would never normally talk to. I've made a friend or two in my classes by doing this just this past semester. I highly recommend it.
There is beauty all around us in everyday life. Whether it be people, nature, or buildings and other little things, take a moment and enjoy it. Stop scrolling and look up. There's a whole world you're missing.
