We are taught at a young age to notice our environment, and the people around us.  So how do we grow up only to isolate ourselves in our own little world? Only noticing those around us when we are in need.  I blame it on the “life changing” technology we carry around with us everyday. Sure, it’s life changing, our phones damage our communicative skills, drain our emotions, and morph society into robots.  Take a bird’s-eye view of the world, and you’ll see us, millions of little flies attracted to the blinding bright light our little robot best friends emit.  

Today, sitting at a restaurant, that’s exactly what I saw.  Happy faces, and mouths smiling, however only while their eyes stared down into the blinding light.  The instant I could see their faces clearly, when their eyes glanced up, the smile faded, and a blank stare took its place.  It reminded me of a light switch, where one world, inside the phone, the light switch was on. Happiness lived here, and people could exhibit their own unique personalities.  However, the light could quickly turn off, and when it did, the world was dark again, full with identical humans. Although, it is encouraged to put down our phones to feel whole again, it is not so simple.  Not only are we robots with our phones, without them we are too. Technology has stolen pieces of humanity we can never get back. Certainly, putting our phones down for a day or two will not do the trick. In a fantasy, maybe we could put down technology for good, unfortunately for the time being, the electronic world has synced itself into our lives.

Individually, however, we can escape society’s electronic grip by focusing on meaningful lives without phones.  The greatest gift, connecting with others, seems to have a ripple effect to our real lives. When someone is satisfied with their life’s relationships and progress, the phone’s bright glow grows dim.  With positive human relationships, we can distinguish what is truly important in our lives, and make them a priority. A shining bright light will radiate, even when our blinding phone screens are dark.