The Journey to the Land Before iPhones
John Bergman - Sports Editor
January 11, 2010
Filed under Opinion
Riding my bike back from school, I came upon the realization that I was out of shape and that I was making an effort for the first time. Although both of these were true, the dependence on technology ruled everyday life. I was on a mission to do the unthinkable, the impossible, the insane task of going without technology for a day.
Not being able to come home and surf the Internet, I opened Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code (Yes, that’s a book!) to pass time. To find events that happened over the weekend, I resorted to reading the newspaper, a lost pastime in today’s culture.
In some instances, technology can be beneficial which showed in math class where I felt severely handicapped. Without a calculator, writing out equations by hand proved to take up unnecessary time in Calculus. Doing research in Worldviews in the library required books, not online articles. Even the main portion of this article was composed on paper. Research information was also limited instead of the vast resources available at the click of a mouse.
My mother’s words of ‘good, old-fashioned fun’ came true when instead of watching CSI: Miami, I found myself dueling my sister in a game of chess. Even not being able to listen to music before I went to sleep left me in a bad mood. On a positive note, my homework was done before dinner, one of the greatest accomplishments in my life.
Also, not using technology promoted getting outside with friends just like the ancient middle school days. I enjoyed the beautiful weather while playing a game of tennis. Usually I’m too lazy to walk to the park, but I traveled by foot and got some exercise.
Many teens would freak out without being in close contact with their friends, but it gave me a sense of freedom without my phone. The next morning when I opened up my phone, I was alerted that I only had one missed text (it was from my dad!). Sure, I’m not the most popular kid, but I did find out the world still rotates without being updated every second. Yes, it is harder to schedule things with friends, but talking in person to someone is a lost art of today’s society.
Today’s standard for life requires doing things by yourself on the Internet or watching TV, but not using technology forces interacting with others. Instead of rushing to play Xbox after dinner, I had a conversation with my parents about how their day went.
Time, which controls our specific movements each day, was quickly forgotten, as I didn’t feel constricted to meet deadlines. The stress-free style of life is lost with people busy every second of the day. Today’s lazy, sit-on-the-couch society is a direct result of using technology.
Now, in no context am I trying to say that technology is a bad thing. I enjoy the uses of I-pods, I-phones, and I-everything else. The most important thing is not to lose out on relationships, activities, and family dinners by sitting in front of a screen.
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