COLUMN: Take notice
I seem to be one of the very few people at Central Michigan University not obsessed with my phone.
I look around and see people texting, staring blankly at their screens, and I am deeply reminded of "1984" by George Orwell or Ray Bradbury’s "Fahrenheit 451."
Fall is here and I want to savor it, smell it and breathe it into me. I want to take in the sights and watch the beautiful seasonal changes day by day. I want to appreciate the abundance of fresh healthy food this time brings.
Even if I wasn’t enamored with fall, or the natural beauty around me, I still want to be present in my life. I want others to be present in theirs as well and not slumber it away in a comatose scrolling of Facebook posts.
People say they don’t have time for this or that, but if they add up all the time they spent on things they don’t value, that is time they could funnel into something they love. A walk in the park, reading a chapter of a novel they have always wanted to read, or even just some quiet time to themselves away from noise or children can be possible.
I look at other students and wonder who they are, what difficulties are they facing, what triumphs have they had today and what are their dreams?
I try not to become too absorbed in my own life that I don’t take notice at the complexities around me. At times it is difficult, and I may even fall into the "poor me" feeling, but I try my best to just stop and look around and see, is it really all that bad?
You know that moment when an ambulance goes by with its siren on, and you stop what you are doing and think about what’s happening? We need those moments of clarity; they awaken something primal in us.
I wonder if anyone else has noticed the way many people walk with blinders.
Even if they aren’t stuck in their devices, it seems people especially college students are often detached from their surroundings. They may be able to name off the presidents, or literary elements in Rebecca, but do they look deeper at the meanings and connections all around us?
The zombie apocalypse may not be too far away if we don’t take an active role in our lives.
When I get a dirty look in class because I just raised my hand to answer, yet again, another question I wonder is why they haven’t raised their hand? Is it because they don’t have an answer, or is it because they just want sit quietly in a room and pay a thousand dollars for someone to speak to them and tell them what to think?
I often wonder about these students, and think of the reasons they could have for not taking an active role in their education. Couldn’t they do the same thing for cheaper at a community college?
Perhaps it is simpler to just sit back and have someone tell you what to think, and not ask questions.
I can’t. I must ask questions. I don’t think everyone should be the same as me, nor am I perfect, but it would be great to see others finding their passion for life and in life.
I think the first step we can take is to notice our surroundings. And what easier time to do so than fall?
