Present.

It is a powerful word. It is a word that explains if you heard your mother asking you to take out the trash, if you understood what your professor was teaching in your statistics class, or if you listened to your friend as they step out of their comfort zone to tell you about their struggle with depression.

Being present should not be something that is achieved, it should be a natural state for humans. Technology has become overbearing in society, making being present a difficult task. Those who have the privilege of access to more advanced electronics like smartphones, laptops, and tablets are consumed by it.

Today social media has taken the reigns. When faced with an awkward situation in the elevator where there's one other person, what is the easiest solution? Pulling out your phone. What if instead of being consumed with your device, you instead sparked up a conversation with that person? Who knows where that conversation could lead to.

Maybe it could be insignificant to your day, but maybe that person could become a friend that changes your life, maybe that person could be a future lover or spouse. You wouldn’t know because you were on your phone. You wouldn’t know because you were not present.

We have let our infatuation with technology become a need. We are so committed to our phones that they have become as important as eating a healthy meal, getting sleep, and drinking water. We are forgetting that social interaction is also a need. No- that doesn’t include DM-ing some girl on Instagram or subtweeting about a guy you like. It means face to face interaction; listening; seeing; comprehending.

I myself, have been a victim of going to dinner to spend time with friends just to find myself checking my phone every few minutes. Most people are waiting for that text from a special someone or a crucial email, but I promise you that it can wait. It will not be the end of the world if you don’t respond to a text 0.5 seconds after someone replies. Instead, put that phone down and be involved in what is occurring in front of you at the moment.

I have found, and I assume most will agree, that being on my phone distracts me from work as well. As a student, I can try to combat that issue by putting it on silent or turning it off while I write a paper, but then notifications pop up on my laptop. It often feels like the electronic world is inescapable.

Luckily, I have learned ways to shut it out. If I have a specific class where I have trouble paying attention and find myself on my phone, I will stop bringing my laptop and phone to class, or if I need my laptop to type notes I will turn my wifi off. While these are simple techniques, they require discipline for it can be challenging to step away from the electronic world. Not paying attention to what’s in front of you prevents you from expanding your intelligence, and from initiating in experiences that could be life-changing.

Technology has broken barriers that were never meant to be broken, and it’s time to fix that. It is time to take a break and to be present.

I promise you that the internet isn’t going anywhere, but that one moment where you have the opportunity to listen to a friend or even introduce yourself to a stranger is. That opportunity isn’t a racetrack, it won’t circle back for you. It is a one-way street waiting for you to hop on and enjoy the ride, but only if you’re willing to engage in the moment; only if you’re willing to be Present.