Many older generations accuse us “millennials” of living through our cell phones. Countless social media posts criticize how some young people have a tendency to spend more time taking pictures and experiencing things through the screens of our smart phones. I used to agree with them. I figured you could not be fully present if you are constantly snapping pictures or taking videos. While this may be true in some cases, like if you put your phone down once during a 5 hour concert, I am here to say that this millennial habit is not completely negative. In fact, our desire to keep photographs of our experiences are the key to time travel.
That’s right, time travel. As you can see in my tagline, I love Amy Poehler. And I strongly encourage everyone to read her memoir, Yes Please. Seriously, it’s the best. Alas, the book is not what this article is about *wink wink.* One chapter of Yes Please is devoted to the concept of time travel. Instead of a Science Fiction based idea of traveling through time to stop the extinction of dinosaurs or ahead to see the winner of the next Super Bowl, time travel is actually how you utilize your past to embrace your present.
In her memoir, Amy Poehler describes time travel as the best way to deal with change and “surf” through life. Essentially, if you go with the flow and recognize life as ever-changing instead of static, the ability to “time-travel” is much stronger. Accepting change as a constant makes sense when you look at the goal of time travel. You can’t stand still in one time, but ceaselessly move back and forth. Visit the past but still appreciate the present and think of the future.
The other key to time travel is to be fully present. In Amy Poehler’s words, “You have to be where you are to get where you need to go.” While you are able to do this with mental images, physical pictures also help. To be present is to take in every detail and photographs capture most of those little details as a visual path to travel through time. The best way to do this is to take several different pictures and views of your experiences, so you know you have the visual details saved. Once you have the photographs you can stop and experience life. Because you have the visual details on your phone, you can now take in the smells, tastes, sounds, and physical experiences of that point in time. Katie Thurmes, a co-founder of the photo book company Artifact Uprising said this point best, “We take photos as a return ticket to a moment otherwise gone.” Our countless photos on our phones help us go back in time to remember the details our cameras could not capture.
Throughout the time travel chapter of Yes Please, (which again, you should totally read) Amy Poehler describes how places, senses, and objects help us travel to remember our amazing yesterdays while moving forward to a better tomorrow. Contrary to the beliefs of older generations, constantly taking pictures on our cell phones isn’t such a bad thing. If the technology had been around longer, I am sure we would see thousands of photos of nearly forgotten yesterdays. So while capturing pictures of your latest today, remember to take the time to be fully present, for the hope to travel back to that moment while launching yourself towards tomorrow.
