Balance and connection

Morgan Rooney
MSMU Class of 2020

(10/2019) The world is forever changing. Thinking back to my childhood memories, I am certain that it’s a different world now. First of all, I would say that I had a happy childhood. Sure, there are some little things I would change. I wish I practiced piano more when my grandma used to give me lessons in elementary school and I wish I was a little more outgoing in certain areas and less shy around family members, but I also wouldn’t say that I have had any regrets when it comes to my childhood.

Technology did have a place in my childhood. I remember sitting at my dad’s computer when I was five years old. I would put in a disc and load up a fun, interactive game made for kids, some even being for learning. I had the tv shows I liked. I remember having a flip phone once I got a little older so I could keep contact with my parents.

My life wasn’t full of electronics, though. I would go outside to play in the sandbox my parents built for me. I would play with my dog, Reggie. I was always there when it was time for dinner and when it was time to do something as a family. When I was three, my sister was born and I would prop her up on a pillow and try to play with her, even though she was too young to reciprocate the fun I was trying to have.

I loved watching certain tv shows, and playing my computer games, and talking to my friends on my flip phone, and later when I got my first smartphone. I don’t feel like any of those things have taken away from my childhood. They seemed like a good balance. I could escape for a little while and come back and see people face to face.

Of course, a lot of things have changed throughout the last two decades. I am a person who believes in balance and moderation with most things. Of course, there’s certain things that shouldn’t even be messed with at all. You know, hard drugs, dangerous activities, other self-explanatory things. I see some kids today who can work computers, smartphones, and tablets much better than I can, and I have to use them on a daily basis to keep updated with my classes and keep in contact with the people who mean most to me. I think that says a lot about how things are today.

I know of some teenagers who hardly ever leave the video games in their room to come out and socialize. Some of my friends even seemed like that when I was a teenager. Again with my comment on moderation, I don’t think it’s a horrible thing to have days like that. I’ve had days where I wasn’t feeling well, stayed home from school and played a game or binge watched my favorite show all day. There are days when I’ve been snowed in (we don’t have snow plows in Texas) and spent most of my time using technology. I am guilty, but I always try to unplug and bring myself back to my non-virtual reality.

Over the past few years, I have created some very strong relationships through the internet which I wouldn’t trade for the world. It isn’t a virtual world I strive for, or a completely disconnected one, but one of balance and happiness.

Over this weekend that just passed, I attended a wedding in West Virginia for my cousin. It was in a cute little barn which was out in the country a little bit. It was nice and cool out. It had all sorts of nice decorations. Something I didn’t realize till about thirty minutes after my arrival was how weak the cell signal was so I could not easily contact anyone outside of the little barn. At this point, I put it away and began socializing with the people around me.

It was a long, exciting night and I didn’t even make it back to my hotel room till four in the morning. I spent time with people all night, even the ones I didn’t know very well and I feel like I really strengthened a lot of relationships by putting my phone away and having a few drinks with the family who I don’t get to see as often as I like to. Something I realized is that I should do this more often. Sure, there’s not everyday that there’s a wedding to attend but when I’m out with friends on the weekend, it may be beneficial to just put it away. Pretend I can’t get a signal and focus on what’s right in front of me.

After watching the United Airline video, I did begin to think about how much communication has changed in the past few years. It went from a handshake, to a phone call, to an email, to a text message. Certain things I find much more convenient through a text, or a phone call. Sometimes I don’t want to have to drive all the way across town to deal with something that I could easily deal with through the phone. Some things however, I think are done much better in person.

I have heard of some people doing phone interviews, which can be effective especially if someone is very far away and it’s impossible to meet up face to face. With fairly new developments like video chatting, you can get somewhat close to the real thing without actually having to be there. Nothing, however, can replace being with someone in person, face to face. This is something that will never lose importance. The presence of another human is something we require as social beings. This is something I learned in many of my philosophy classes at the Mount. Without these face to face connections, we can’t function as well as the people we are meant to be.

Read other articles by Morgan Rooney