This semester I made it a goal of mine to not be so attached to my cell phone. It seems that with every technological advancement, we forget what it means to live in the moment. We are so caught up in getting an Instagram-worthy photo that we forget about actually enjoying life. We rely so heavily on Google that instead of actually thinking, we just Google something and hope for the best. The majority of households do not even read books anymore. That is ridiculous.
Recently, Nature Valley produced a video about generational differences; its title was #RediscoverNature. Nature Valley interviewed three generations of families, asking them, “what did you like to do for fun as a kid?” The grandparents and parents talk about fishing, camping, and playing sports, while the children talk about watching TV, or playing video games. That is what our generation and the younger generations consider to be fun. Why?
I understand that technology now plays a huge part in our lives; I am more attached to my phone than a lot of other things. I cannot leave the house without my phone; I treat my phone like it is my child and I cannot help but scroll through Facebook every chance I get.
But this dependency needs to change. We need to stop relying on technology so much because we forget to actually go out and appreciate the world. Not every moment is Instagram-worthy, and you definitely will miss out on things if you are constantly attached to your phone. Plus it is super annoying when people are just staring at their phones while they are walking, instead of paying attention.
How can you enjoy the little moments if you are scrolling through Twitter while you are out with your friends? When you are looking back on life, are you going to remember the Facebook statuses or that time you and your friend got soaked running to her car in the Walmart parking lot?
Technology is not all bad. It has improved medicine and our means of communication substantially. I do believe technology is important but we need to stop relying on it so much. Do we really want to turn out like the humans from Wall-E? Do we no longer want to be able to think on our own?
We need to start living in the moment because life goes by way too fast to be wasting it on staring at your cell phone all day.
