Odell said getting away from technology is now considered a “life hack”. This is true, today’s day and age everything revolves around technology. We need our phones everyday to stay in touch with people and do work. Especially today with most people working from home we would be unable to do our school work without computers and our phones. But looking at your phone all day is bad for you physically and mentally. We’ve become too attached to your phones, we can’t even leave the house without them. When we go for a two minute car ride we have to pick songs and play them to keep us entertained. And looking at your phone all day is not good for your eyes. These screens project blue light which strains our eyes causing headaches and migraines. Not to mention many of us look at our phones right before we go to bed which causes us to take extra time for us to fully fall asleep. Getting away from technology is almost a gift nowadays. Whether that just be going for a walk outside or just closing your eyes for a minute. We need these breaks during the day so our eyes and brain can relax and get away from our technology. This technology also has changed our mindset. We are so used to always being entertained by something on our phone or video games. So when something happens in real life that is not entertaining we lose interest to it and go back to just looking at our phones. The issue is getting worse everyday with new inventions coming out and people seeking more ways to stay entertained. Sometimes we need to step back and look at the world from a different point of view.
I find this thought of being so attached to technology truly horrifying, because it is true. Odell talked about Levi Felix who stated,”I’d like to see more people looking into people’s faces instead of looking at their screens” which in today is a big issue. When talking to people it is so easy to escape the conversation and just look at your phone. It is very hard to keep a conversation going when someone has their nose in their phone. Everyone says this all the time but no one actually does anything to truly change it. This issue is getting worse with the next generation growing up with more technology and missing out on opportunities. For example I have a little cousin about 10 years younger than me. At his age I was always outside playing with my neighbors. But he plays on his phone all day looking through the internet or playing games.
I’ve seen this issue in my own life, I’ll be sitting at the dinner table with my family or friends and everyone will just be looking at their phones and you don’t even realize it. This is why everyone should have a place to go to get away from technology. Odell used her cabin as an example, with no wifi or access to the internet. Although she said it took her 20 minutes to calm down the pay off was incredible she found peace away from technology. Personally I used to love going to the adirondacks in New York every summer. There are small towns everywhere and very little service so phones are practically useless. There are a number of lakes and you’re just surrounded by wilderness. There are no technology distractions you are cut off from the internet and connecting with the people not directly with you. The only way to get good service is to climb a high peak(mountain), but these are no normal walks, these are taxing hikes. They can take a few hours to climb but at the top you are gifted with a scenic view of the land around you and of course cell service. But when at the top the view is so breathtaking cell service becomes irrelevant. During the times away from the internet you get to see how beautiful the world is because you’re no longer face down in your phone and you get to socialize with people face to face. Seeing pictures of national parks like yellowstone and seeing them in person are tremendously different. Taking it in with your own eyes will always beat looking at your phone screen.
E110: Seminar in Composition 