Wednesday, September 25, 2013

A Day in the Life of Kylie



A Day in the Life of Kylie
        The completion of the iExamen provided an insight into the way we as a population here at Loyola communicate. While I whole-heartedly believe that as a community we are an enthusiastic and optimistic society, this self-analysis for Wednesday September 25, 2013 proved otherwise. The overlying tone throughout the day was grave.  
        The day started when my alarm went off at 8:00 am, I hit snooze in a sluggish manner and snuck in another fifteen minutes of sleep. Begrudgingly, I got up and my roommate laughed to how disheveled I looked. It may be important to note here how I am not a morning person. While I fixed a pot of coffee, I went through my daily morning routine of checking my texts, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram accounts, catching up from the missed hours. Twenty minutes later, I was ready to embark on with my day. I realized how much time I spend every morning catching up on social media when to be honest, nothing exciting or of importance ever happens. Accounting for the five days a week I have classes, twenty minutes every morning of mindless browsing adds up to approximately 100 minutes every week!  It was through this self-analysis that I realized how much time I waste on not doing on a task that is not productive and that I probably won’t benefit off of. Furthermore, when I was walking to class I realized how much I use my phone as a security blanket and as a shield to protect against awkward situations. Additionally, I typically call my mother or father when walking to class. The practice of mindfulness made me realize how unpractical and un-ideal it is calling my parents while walking to class. While they are happy to hear from me (and that I’m alive), it is not conducive for a true conversation but rather a few minutes of saying hello and anything of pertinent importance. I vow to call my parents when I actually have time to spend to catch up with them and vow to be less of a victim to the tyrant that is my phone. 
         Arms crossed, sunglasses donned, or heads burred in their phones is how I observed the majority of my peers while walking to class. I noticed that we rely too much on technology to communicate rather than face-to-face interactions. Whether it is to save time, avoid uncomfortable situations, or to look like you are actually doing something when you are really just testing your friend, we all are guilty of becoming slaves to our phones. When chatting with friends after class let out, I realized how pessimistic we can be. From complaining about how slow the week is passing by, how our professor “doesn’t understand”, or whining about the impending doom of the rapidly approaching midterm week. I don’t know if I chose a more cynical day to observe, Wednesdays do have that effect sometimes, but I did not previously realize how we tend to utilize face-to-face communication as a means to vent.  
        Feeling rejuvenated after a trip to the gym, I chose to unplug from all technology around 7 pm. Clad with a pen, paper, and a textbook I padded off to find a quiet space to divulge into my reading for class. While mentally ready to focus on my work, the temptation to check my phone was almost overpowering. I believe this overwhelming sense of temptation stems from my childhood, when my mother would tell me not to do something, of course all I wanted was to rebel. So the fact that I couldn’t check my phone had me itching with curiosity and temptation. When the hour finally ended, I remembered how foolish my attachment, or addition, is to my phone. 

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