One fateful morning while scrambling to gather my keys, breakfast, and coat, in order to make the 7:30 am train, I neglected to remember that I had left my phone charging; I would be stranded from cyberspace for the entire day.
While you must surely imagine the panic I initially felt by essentially being thrust back into the 20th century, I learned many things in my day of isolation:
1. You Never Know Who You Could Meet
Due to the fact that I could not look at a screen or skim my Facebook feed before each lecture, I had the opportunity to become engaged with my classmates. I conversed with them, and made interactions I otherwise wouldn’t have had I been glued to my phone. The experience made me want to put away my phone prior to class for all similar situations in the future.
2. The Phone’s Ghost
While my phone was gone, my habits weren’t. I kept feeling the urge to text my best friend, snap chat, or read the latest headlines throughout the day, then I would be harshly reminded of my forgetfulness.
3. Time Flies Without a Phone
Without the ability to continually check my phone every five minutes to see how much longer I had in a class, I was able to focus on the lecture more attentively, and because of that focus, time moved along much more swiftly than usual. It was amazing how speedily my classes seemed to conclude, and how much more I retained and gained through the class discussions.
4. Relief
It was kind of relieving to not have a phone. I didn’t have to make any calls, set up any appointments, or pretend to not see any text messages. I felt this strange feeling of freedom. I felt that I could somewhat relax and abandon my obligations and worries, if only for a few hours.
5. The Solitude Was Real
While being free of a phone had its perks, I still felt disconnected from the larger part of humanity. With college campuses being so large and classes just beginning, I felt shockingly alone. I had never felt very alone with my phone on hand, but I was most aware of it then. Looking around, there were cellular devices everywhere, communicating messages and thoughts to each other, and I had been ousted from the secret society. All day I wondered what text messages I had received, the latest buzz in the political campaign, and everything else in between.
What’s the point of this story? It’s to simply remind you how our society functions. Yes we may believe we are social, but are we really, if 90% of our social interactions occur through frequencies and waves? No, I am not saying to abandon all connections to cyberspace, but even for one day, it was soothing for the soul looking at it retrospectively.