Unplugged

Last week, a epic catastrophe befell me: I lost my cell phone. In one horrible day, I fell unwillingly into the throngs of the pre-cellular world.

Now, I realize there are many things in life that are infinitely worse than a lost phone. As my mother keeps reminding me, people did, in fact, survive for years without cell phones.

Good for them. I, on the other hand, cannot. There is only one way to describe the experience of attempting to survive on campus without a phone: OMG TISNF.

So much of college life really depends on having a cell phone. I had no idea what was going on Friday because when you can instantly contact anyone, why would anybody ever need to plan in advance?

My roommate offered to let me call my friends on her phone, but I didn’t know any of their numbers because I normally just look them up in my cell’s phone book. I couldn’t even get in contact with my mom to tell her to disconnect my service, because I don’t have a land line in my room. I had to send her an e-mail instead. Lame.

The cell phone has completely changed how our culture communicates.

Before cell phones, if people wanted to meet up, they would plan out what they were going to do in advance, and meet at the previously determined time. If you were late, everyone assumed that you had stood them up, without the “I’m running late” text to clue them in.

Now, with everyone at our constant disposal, we are quick to change and break plans because we just assume that we will be able to fill in everyone right away.

I realized this weekend my phone does more than just allow me to make plans; it keeps me in constant contact with the world. On Saturday afternoon I made my ceremonial trek to Kirkwood, but without my phone I was antsy and the silence made me uncomfortable.

As I was walking back alone without my cell phone to cling to, I realized that I am almost always enmeshed in constant noise. Between my iPod and my phone, I never have a reason to be surrounded by silence. 

Cell phones are wonderful for keeping in touch, but with the convenience comes a cost. They have made it so that we are almost never truly alone. I am afraid that amidst all the noise and the constant communication of modern life, we have forgotten how to be quiet and to be comfortable alone with ourselves.

My weekend without a phone reminded me how peaceful it can be to be removed from the world and alone with oneself. Even though I still find myself reaching for my back pocket out of habit, this weekend made me realize that there is something to be said for unplugging and disconnecting ourselves from the rest of the world.

That said, if anyone finds a grey Motorola flip phone, you know where to find me.