Growing up, I always envied those with the latest technology. The small televisions in the backseat of their car, fun gaming systems, the newest cellular device; I wanted all these things as a young teen thinking that without them, I would be out of place. At the time it was true. If you didn't take part in the oh-so-great technological advancements, you were out of place. It wasn't till I was older that I realized it wasn't me that was out of place, it was them.

I realized this when I was on top of a mountain after a long, hard hike. At one point during the hike, I was draped over a rock on the verge of vomiting because of the harsh incline of this straight-up trail. All I wanted to do was turn back around, but I had already made the commitment to finish this hike. After 7 long miles of rolling my ankle and stopping for breaks, I made it to the top of this mountain, and what an absolute breathtaking view it was. What puzzled me was that I had perfect reception at the top of this mountain. 5,000 feet in the air and I would have never dropped a call. What also puzzled me was that people were texting. Of course this isn't an odd thing to see today, but we were on top of a mountain. We could see at least 3 bordering states and the skyline of Atlanta, and they had their noses in their phones. I didn't understand. I had hiked all this way to see this view, and so did they, and they didn't even look up to even enjoy this marvelous, crystal clear view of the world on top of a mountain. They were missing everything. Then it occurred to me:

Technology is the ultimate separation between man and nature. We would rather get to the top of a mountain and text the first person we know about it than to sit down and admire the majesty and the vastness of the mountaintop. Think about how many things we have missed passing in the car because we're on our phone. We missed those beautiful herd of deer in the field, that really big dead snake in the middle in the road, and the tortoise trying to cross the road. Ever since I had this epiphany after my strenuous hike to my death, I've at least taken the time to soak in the beauty of things that have always been here and occur naturally. The trees, the beautiful purple flowers on the side of the interstate, the red cardinals sitting on a branch. I never ever want the world to pass me by while I sit on my phone. I want to notice it, and thank it.

We take the things that give us the breath in our lungs for granted. It's quite ironic if you think about the average American's preference for a smart phone than nature and trees, who give us the one supplement that we need.

Technology has stolen many hearts of Americans only to break the very heart of nature.