Elizabeth Milonas
Dr. Ellis
Understanding Literature 101.16
25 September 2013
Various
Interactions
I
woke up on Monday September 23rd to the sound of the annoying “BEEEP…
BEEEP… BEEEP…” from my alarm clock and my eyes could barely open. After about
10 minutes of contemplating in my head about how comfortable my bed was and how
cold it was outside, I knew I had to get moving or else I would be late to
class.
As
I walked to my philosophy class with my roommate, we both talked as we walked. While
we walked, we both sort of knew to speed walk to class or else we’d be late,
even though we never mentioned it directly to one another. In addition, we
talked without looking directly at each other. It was interesting to see how
comfortable we were because we understood and communicated well without the
typical “face-to-face” conversation.
During
each class, I attempted to make eye contact with every professor so that he/she
understood that I was actually trying to understand what they were teaching us
that day. (And not just dozing off like some of my classmates seemed to be.)
I
decided that when my friends and I went to Boulder for dinner that night I
would stop and turn off my cell phone and not use any other electronics for the
next hour. In the first 4 minutes of putting my phone away, my brother called
me asking about how to use a coupon because he was online shopping. So then, I
had to start my hour over. My roommates Kellianne and Julia decided that it
would be up to them to make sure I completed this assignment fairly… hence,
they took away and hid my phone.
I
was so used to having my phone constantly in front of my face—which honestly I hadn’t
even noticed I did all that much—that I began to feel lost without it!
Furthermore, as we ate dinner, we all refrained from using our phones and to be
honest, it created a more intimate bonding experience. There is a void that
electronics give to you, and it doesn’t permit you to thoroughly engage with
your friends.
I
looked around the dining hall and noticed all the people sitting. I spotted my
friends and I observed the new workers at Boulder and how nice they are. Loyola
isn’t as big of a school, which caused me to wonder that if we had all stopped
using electronics if we could possibly start to remember more faces around
campus and build a stronger community.
After
my hour of no electronics was over, I was able to turn on my laptop and my
phone, but that also meant I turned off my ability to notice some specific
details that happen everyday. Completing the iExamen was a very interesting
experience. I was able to notice things about myself that I hadn’t particularly
spotted. Being continually social and active every day is incredibly important,
especially when electronics aren’t constantly in your face.
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