It's Time To Put The Phone Down | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Relationships

It's Time To Put The Phone Down

Stop updating your status and start paying attention to the people around you.

12
It's Time To Put The Phone Down
soundmap.dewlines.org

I'll be the first to admit I always have my phone in my hand ready to send a text, check Facebook, send a Snapchat, or snap a picture of something. It is just something we are used to doing this day and age. We want to document everything we are doing, and tell everyone about it as quickly as possible. And with phones essentially being mini computers in our hands we have that power.

After being in London for only a week, there is one major thing I have noticed that is different than back home in the states (besides the accent of course). The Brits are not phone obsessed like Americans are. Yes they have their phones, yes they'll check their emails for work and make a phone call here or there. They'll listen to music on the tube and even check some social media while they're at it. But when work is over and everyone is at the pub grabbing a pint with friends and co-workers, there is not a single person on their phone. Their phones aren't in their hands, they aren't even on the table. Everyone is paying attention to each other and actually listening to what people are saying and actually engaging in conversation. Even at dinner, no one has their phones out. No one checks their phone while they're waiting for their meals, they are having conversations with the people they're with. And this continues to the night life. At the clubs everyone is dancing and enjoying themselves. No one has their phones out Snapchatting the events of the night.

It is definitely something that takes some getting used to, but it got me thinking 'Why haven't we realized this? Why do we have such a hard time putting the phone down?' It isn't a difficult thing to do, so why can't we just put the phone in our bag or pocket? One of my biggest pet peeves is when I am trying to have a conversation with someone and they are just sitting on their phone. I'll finish talking and there is 10 seconds of silence before they say 'wait, what did you say?' or let out a laugh because they know they weren't paying attention. And I'll admit I am guilty of this every once in awhile but I try not to be on my phone when I'm with my friends or family.

So having witnessed it first hand across the pond, I'm telling you to channel your inner Brit and put the phone away. Yes there is a time and a place to document the memories you are making, but then there are other times to just sit back and enjoy the time you have with your friends. I know it's so cliché to say, but you only get so much time to spend with the people you love and enjoy hanging out with, so actually enjoy it and pay attention. Your memories of times with friends and family will be more important than that Facebook article you read or Snapchat you got.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
ross geller
YouTube

As college students, we are all familiar with the horror show that is course registration week. Whether you are an incoming freshman or selecting classes for your last semester, I am certain that you can relate to how traumatic this can be.

1. When course schedules are released and you have a conflict between two required classes.

Bonus points if it is more than two.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

12 Things I Learned my Freshmen Year of College

When your capability of "adulting" is put to the test

4456
friends

Whether you're commuting or dorming, your first year of college is a huge adjustment. The transition from living with parents to being on my own was an experience I couldn't have even imagined- both a good and a bad thing. Here's a personal archive of a few of the things I learned after going away for the first time.

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

Economic Benefits of Higher Wages

Nobody deserves to be living in poverty.

303170
Illistrated image of people crowded with banners to support a cause
StableDiffusion

Raising the minimum wage to a livable wage would not only benefit workers and their families, it would also have positive impacts on the economy and society. Studies have shown that by increasing the minimum wage, poverty and inequality can be reduced by enabling workers to meet their basic needs and reducing income disparities.

I come from a low-income family. A family, like many others in the United States, which has lived paycheck to paycheck. My family and other families in my community have been trying to make ends meet by living on the minimum wage. We are proof that it doesn't work.

Keep Reading...Show less
blank paper
Allena Tapia

As an English Major in college, I have a lot of writing and especially creative writing pieces that I work on throughout the semester and sometimes, I'll find it hard to get the motivation to type a few pages and the thought process that goes behind it. These are eleven thoughts that I have as a writer while writing my stories.

Keep Reading...Show less
April Ludgate

Every college student knows and understands the struggle of forcing themselves to continue to care about school. Between the piles of homework, the hours of studying and the painfully long lectures, the desire to dropout is something that is constantly weighing on each and every one of us, but the glimmer of hope at the end of the tunnel helps to keep us motivated. While we are somehow managing to stay enrolled and (semi) alert, that does not mean that our inner-demons aren't telling us otherwise, and who is better to explain inner-demons than the beloved April Ludgate herself? Because of her dark-spirit and lack of filter, April has successfully been able to describe the emotional roller-coaster that is college on at least 13 different occasions and here they are.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments