Life unplugged: A tale of a day without social media
Meghan Salinas, Staff Writer
photo courtesy: unsplash.com
In the decade before this one, life was all about licking stamps to send those sweet and authentic handwritten letters, leaving voicemails, reading a newspaper, neighborhood block parties and cherishing those long three-hour long phone calls with family.
What in the world has changed? Society has, and it has simply hit our generation like a stack of bricks. I had the chance to unplug from my electronics for a day and those who say how extremely difficult that is are simply correct on the matter.
This generation believes that their whole entire world is on an iPhone or a Macbook. It’s so shocking to see people in the cafeteria eating with one another and realize that not one word has simply been said because people are glued to a screen.
For accountability purposes, I asked my friend to hold on to my phone for a day this week. I woke up with an urge to automatically check my social media, and that’s when it hit me: checking my phone first thing in the morning is second nature to me. Since when was an un-materialistic item like my iPhone my whole entire life?
Within a few seconds of realizing that I didn’t have my phone, I grabbed my favorite book, the Bible. God calls his people to a higher standard. Yes, all day long I’ll confess that I am a Christian, but notice how reading his Word was my second priority.
My quiet time while unplugged seemed so much more authentic than usual. The day was spent in immense prayer, devotions and reflections. I felt like I had so much more time to study, chat with friends and actually smile more. I know it sounds cliché, but I truly believe that social media can ruin your joy.
Unplugging for a day simply was not a walk in the park by any means. It simply made me realize that I have been putting so much time in something that is only temporary. Unlike media, God is everlasting and will keep on filling me up, and that is something I can truly depend on.
