One of the best and worst decisions I ever made was to get and iPhone. My brother got a smartphone before I did and simply said ,"It's gonna change your life". I thought he was just being super cheesy but I realize more and more that it really did. Life is a lot more convenient but also, I feel like I have developed an unhealthy dependency on my phone. If it's not texting or calling people, its playing games, going on Facebook or checking my e-mail. Sometimes, my roommates and I just sit on the couch and go on our phones respectively for a good hour. If that's not sad I don't know what is.
The last time I went without my phone was during the summer when I went to Cambodia. It was for a missions trip and we didn't have WiFi or service out there. I still used my phone to take pictures but other than that, it was pretty much a fancy iTouch. But, I remember getting so much closer to my teammates without technology in the way and because we didn't have anything else to do, we spent all our free time getting to know each other. The team got really close and to this day, my fondest memories come from spending time with them. But, the reality is whenever we went to a cafe or a random place that would actually have WiFi, we all became like WiFi vampires and gorged ourselves on the Internet. Once again, if that's not sad, I don't know what is.
So on this lonely Valentines day, I had no phone. There was no team or people to keep me occupied so I knew the day would be long. But, I did feel a certain gladness not to see people post up sappy statuses or couple things because I am a bitter single lady. I decided to go downtown because there was a clock tower that I always passed by, but I never took to time to check out. Going downtown on the bus, I had to check bus times and map my time out. Usually I would just use my phone to check everything but since I couldn't use it I just did it old school. The bus ride was so long and boring because I couldn't sit still with my thoughts. I'm beginning to see that I really use my iPhone to escape the realities of all my responsibilities and things I have to do.
Going to the clock tower was fun and the building is so beautiful! I wanted to be cool and take pictures and post it online but I knew that I couldn't so I just enjoyed it by myself. I kept wanting my check my phone for texts or notifications so I REALLY had to flex my self-control. There was a certain freedom in knowing that no one could reach me and I could just have a day to myself. I could enjoy this new experience without having to feel like I had to be somewhere or I had to talk to someone. I felt overall, time went a little slower but in a great way. I'm not exactly the outdoorsy type so going outside was really refreshing for me and a great way to see new things. If by choice I probably wouldn't go without my phone, but it was interesting to see how I could somehow function without it. I think I should probably unplug more often.
Check this video out! I think it's a great representation of what the iPhone generation looks like
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OINa46HeWg8
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