UNPLUGGED

I was watching a Korean thriller a few days ago and in the movie, the guy had installed spyware into his victim's phone and was watching her every move through the spyware. He was literally spying on her, listening in on her conversations, watching her, had access to her social media etcetera. This guy had her in the palm of his hands just because he could get into her phone, and when I deeply think about it, it makes me want to toss my phone and never own one ever again.

Lmao, but that isn't possible. While I don't dispute that these tiny computers have somewhat become so important to us and are very essential in living, especially in the world of today, I've wondered if people can actually live without their phones for even a day or two without going completely nuts.

I say this because I remember a day when Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp - the Meta world in general, had a problem and we couldn't access our social media for the entire day. Luckily for me, I was so busy offline, and after I came home that day, I wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed, eat my dinner, watch a movie, and maybe then drift off to sleep. Sleep I did not, as I settled into watching Squid games, which had 1-hour long episodes, and I couldn't stop myself from watching until the end. Totally engrossed in my series, I completely forgot about social media and the outside world in general. It was not until I thought to check my messages the next day that I started to realize what had gone down the other day. I came online to meet rants, lamentations, and I couldn’t relate because, matter of factly, I didn't see how a whole day without social media was such a bad thing.

Sometimes I spontaneously turn off my phone just to be disconnected from technology for the whole day. I want no contact with the outside world, and I want nobody contacting me as well. Although going off like that can cause people who care about me a lot to worry, and that is why I don't do it so much. But on a few days, I like to drift away from the world that is the internet into my own world, the world that people forget to live in.

I like to take long walks at night, with the cool breeze blowing, touching my skin and hair. I like to admire nature: the trees, flowers, sunsets, and animals. I like to gaze at the stars and wonder why the moon is so bright at night. I bask in the solitude that just living in the world allows me to enjoy the simple things that make Earth, Earth. I like to know people and not what they post on social media. I'd like to know them, really.

In essence, I think we've all become so accustomed to the world online that we forget about the real world—the world we live in and I think it leaves a gap in a person. I mean, when you find fulfillment only in the things the world online gives you and can't do the same offline, it leaves a type of void that you might never know how to crawl out from. So why not start small? Take a day or two off and see what happens.

So, to wrap it up - while we can't deny that our phones and the internet are important, we need to remember to take a breather from time to time. Being glued to our screens can make us forget the simple things in life and miss out on connecting with others. By unplugging and experiencing the world around us, we can appreciate nature, admire the stars, and get to know people on a more personal level. So, why not challenge yourself to take a break from tech and see what happens? Who knows, it might be just the refreshing change you need!