What do you think about when you hear the term technology? I think about a new age evolving from computers, business men sitting at a table with an R2-D2 projecting a PowerPoint, then walking down the street with their Bluetooth headsets and Google Glasses (well perhaps not walking, since they have invented Pod-Racers by then).
Our society has certainly traveled from the old era of pen and paper, and with new websites being used such as Schoology, it can be overwhelming. In this day in age, it’s easy to feel like technology is being shoved down your throat, and for everyone who doesn’t update their phones, they feel like they are missing out and can’t possibly interact the same with anyone else (a moment of peace for my green Firefly phone of six fabulous years).
I bet if you were to ask your grandparent or other elder how school was for them, they would certainly explain in great detail how simplistic things were back in their day, but not before criticizing our generation. I recently visited my camp up in the UP, where the main features include a wooden outhouse and sauna, a water pump (in great working condition might I add!) and a Victrola. It’s such a different perspective when you imagine living in an era with no telephone, Twitter, cars, televisions, and the like.
As teenagers, we have it drilled in our brains to wake up every morning and scroll through Instagram. During the last five minutes of class, check the latest tweets, posts, vines, and other things distracting from reality. It’s become such an impulsive behavior that have possessed our being, making us zombies in the morning with our coffee drinks in the left hand and Twitter feed in the other. While it is alright to escape your priorities once in a while to relax, one can also find ways to unwind in the most simplistic things, such as reading, riding your bike, playing sports, or talking to your family (I know, it’s crazy. Life actually does go on outside our bedrooms!)
The saying “life begins at the end of your comfort zone” can perfectly sum this up. Life begins outside of our technology. The best memories are always made when our phones are slid inside of our pockets, out of mind. Yet, why do we spend countless hours on our computers, phones and televisions? We need to take a close look at reality through our eyes, not a pixelated screen, and realize is that most of the sweetest sounds come from Victrolas and the purest tasting water comes from red, rustic water pumps.