Turn off your fake life.

I spend a lot of time talking to people. And it’s funny how easy it is to forget about my phone with some and how all I can think about with others is - my phone. I don’t think the problem is really in the conversation you are having because that is actually all there is happening for you at the moment. And what you do is, you start comparing your life on social media to the one you are experiencing. And because you can make your life whatever you want it to be on Facebook or Instagram, you take a photo of your drink and post it, saying something like ‘Having the best time eveeeerrrr’ even though you are bored to death. But let’s make sure nobody else knows it, right? You have a person in front of you. You have a human mind, full of experiences, ideas and stories to tell. You have an option of having the best time ever, an option to feel that person’s energy and an option to practice your social skills. But no, you choose to check your phone minute after minute, making it impossible for you to even follow a conversation.

But what's interesting about it, I do it even though I find that so disrecpetful. People are giving us their precious time and they are never getting it back. But we throw it away like it’s ours to waste. If we don’t have an honest interest in that person, we should just stay home and spend that hour on our phone. But when we meet with someone, put the phone away. Not on the table, even if you turn the screen upside down. The phone is still there and you will check on it sooner or later. It’s a serious addiction, even if you don’t see it for what it is right now. A lot of people started pointing out the obvious problem people have because of all the technology that is with us every second of our lives. Especially young people became really obsessed with it and studies show that people that use social media a lot, lose a big part of rhetorical skills and are more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety. After reading a lot of articles about it, I started thinking about what would my days look like if I didn’t have a phone. What would I do? What would be different? First of all, I would have to buy an alarm clock, a handwatch and a calendar. Oh, an alarm clock without a ‘snooze’ option for sure. That would be a smart idea. I would set an alarm to wake me up at 6:30. I would get up and go take a shower. By the time I usually get to the bathroom, I check my phone about 3926291 times. Okay, a big cup of coffee and here we go. What to do? Hmm, I don’t have magazines. Oh I know, I have books. I have great books in my apartment. So my morning would be a cup of coffee and a book. Oh wow, how cool is that! I’d like that. I’d like that a lot. Okay, so I had my caffeine dose and I read, now I have about three hours before I have to leave the apartment. I don’t have my phone, so Facebook and Instagram are not an option. Okay, I can read some more. It’s not a bad idea. I have books about Romanian law, books about Napoleon, books about animals, books about psychology and much more. Oh I feel so stupid right now. How could I ever choose social media over all that knowledge? Tjaša, you are making some dumb decisions here. Obviously. If I didn't feel like reading, I could take a walk. I could go have a run and I could spend my morning somewhere in nature, having a better connection than the fastest wifi on this planet. But no, I choose every day to spend it with my face down to the screen. Aghhh. Thank God for the hand watch because otherwise I would have no idea what time it is. But again, no need to use my phone. Okay I would leave my place and sit in the car. I don’t have my phone, so I guess it’s radio time. News, new songs, radars, politics,... I probably wouldn’t enjoy it as much as I do my playlists, but I would survive. Okay then I would have to buy some kind of mp3 player, classes time. I would spend entire day in the dance school, filling my time with real interactions with dancers. I would have no other option. That sounds great, I just realized I should put my phone away during classes. Okay classes ended, coffee time. I don’t have my phone, so I don’t want to sit alone. Because I’d have nothing to do. What now? Well I should ask someone from my classes to join me. That’s just great! Quality time! So not having a phone turns out to be a great idea, again. Because I don’t have my phone, I have to give my full attention to the person next to me. Wonderful. And no need to worry to be late because I have a haaaand watch! So after that I would get back home and whaaaat to dooo, I don’t have my phone! Well guess what, I have books and I have people to talk to and I have nature all around me to refill my batteries. And I have myself to think about and I can take a paper and write. All there is left without a phone are just beautiful real things.

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