A whole 24 hours without technology? Piece of cake. Except, not. It was more like 20 hours, and it was much more difficult than I anticipated. It started when I went to bed Tuesday, around 11:00pm, so I could avoid temptation with sleep. In the very beginning I could tell I had a long day ahead of me when I realized I would have to rely on my roommates alarm the next morning. Luckily her alarm went off loud enough for me to wake up at 7:30am. Good thing I didn’t have class until 11:00am.
Usually the first thing I do when I wake up is turn the TV on, and of course watch a few cartoons to start my day off on a good note. As I reached for the remote I regrettably realized that I had unplugged the TV the night before, knowing I would forget and try to use it. I then decided to lie in bed and do nothing for as long as possible before I had to go to class. It worked for about twenty minutes, and at that point the only thing left to do was homework.
When it was finally time to go to class I got there early because I was so anxious to leave my tech-less room. My first two classes of the day held me off until around 2:00pm. In statistics I had to use my graphing calculator for most of the class; it was a welcomed loophole. I then had a break between classes, and the only way to control my impulses was to go to the dining hall, and do more homework until my last class.
Throughout the day it was incredible to see how many people were constantly using gadgets, but I was more surprised at how normal it always was to me, until I was no longer able to participate in the trend. It seems that almost no one is free from the hold technology has over our lives these days. Everyone has a phone, or computer, or iPod, or something that connects them to an outside world no matter where they are. As long as there’s a cell tower, or wireless router nearby, there will be people lost in their own mechanical world. I have yet to decide where I stand on the subject because there are positives and negatives for both sides. After going a day without any voluntary use of technology, I am even more on the fence than before.
The end of my day was the hardest; after seeing everyone I passed using some sort of electronic device, I couldn’t take it anymore and around 8:00pm I caved by checking my email on my phone. It was a worthless and disappointing cave, and after I continued to periodically use or check my phone. I didn’t make it the whole 24 hours, but it did show me how often I use, and how necessary technology is for me to maintain the life I have been living. At the same time I realize that this dependence on technology could lead not only to mine, but to the world’s eventual downfall.
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