Really Scary Realizations about Technology

Yesterday I had done something different. I forgot my phone at home and I was on my way to class. It was like something shifted, I started to notice everything around me.

Everything. The birds chirping, the sun shining down on us all, the slight breeze in the air, the rush of traffic and the footsteps that I heard of others walking around me. I noticed the delicious scent of pastries down the street at a bakery, and glanced to enjoy the sound of children laughing at a nearby park, chasing each other in a fast paced game of tag. I could see the people that surrounded me everyday in the city, and looked at how different everyone was that passed me, from height to their style of clothing. 

But the one thing I kept noticing, was that most people were looking down.

Their eyes were glued on a screen, a reality that didn't even exist. The trees, the buildings, the people that passed by them didn't exist.. I didn't exist to them. 

All because of a virtual window of electricity.

It felt wrong. Something was off, the world had shifted, people were changing. 

I went on a bus, and there it was again, people sitting down with their eyes staring at their own phone screens. It was silent on the way to my class because people were distracted and preoccupied with their own phones. I felt exposed, suddenly unnatural and uncomfortable without the comfort of my own phone to hide behind. 

I had realized that I had been one of them, not paying mind to the world that was in front of me, instead looking through my social media or texting my friends. The fact that I had been unaware of how similar I acted to everyone around me scares me. How did I let this happen? How did I become so addicted to my phone and when will I ever be comfortable to get out of the house without it again?

For the first time in a populated commute to New York City, I felt alone. 

Is this how the world will communicate from now on? 

The worst part is I can't leave the house without my phone, and I use it everyday. 

Author's Note

I don't know how it is around where you guys live, but I live in the city, surrounded by different people everyday. And one thing I want you guys to try is this: Next time you go out, look to see how many people you see are using their phones. I'm really curious to know how it is like in other states.