I think it's becoming increasingly easier to get caught up in this world.

What I mean by this is that our world today is digitized. It's smaller than it has ever been before. We are bombarded constantly with graphics, pictures, texts, and notifications. Humans have never lived this way before. This digital world is becoming the standard – a new way of life.

People walk to class with their noses in their phone. Social media is the new newspaper. Hours are being stolen from us – technology is becoming a thief of our time. And yet, we do not recognize the impending danger of all of this. We are forgetting what it's like to truly live in a way that doesn't involve sharing our location, our pictures, our entire life online.

And I believe this is not the way we are meant to live. I believe that technology is safe when we own it, but I believe it's dangerous when technology owns us. I believe that the value of life is not stored in our follower count, or the aesthetics of our feed, but I believe the value of life is in our memories, our relationships, our intentions, and our legacy.

Our life is in the small moments, smiling at a stranger, buying a friend coffee, a deep conversation at midnight, a genuine laugh, a rush of adrenaline, a sense of accomplishment, a feeling of awe, a true love for someone.

Our life is not digital, so do not fall into the trap of believing it is. We are breathing, we are here, and yet, if we let it, technology takes us away from this. It takes us away from the here and now. It steals our minutes and our hours. But only if we let it.

All of the things we have created as humans are not inherently bad. If we control them to our benefit, technology enables us to meet new people, keep in touch with friends, share our creativeness with the world, and speed up processes. Nevertheless, we cannot allow technology to control us. Because it can. If we let it, technology disables us. It dictates our self-worth, entrances us to lose hours of our time, and in a way, dehumanizes us.

It is important for us, as humans, to stay in touch with what makes life real. To stay in touch with the small moments, and to remember life is not what we project online, but where we are now.

We are capable of so much more than numbing ourselves and technologically escaping the world. Allow yourself feelings, and time, and experiences. And not just an experience to boost your content. Immerse yourself fully into wherever you are, whatever you're doing, and whoever you're with.

Take every chance you are given to live, and don't let developments in this world take your focus away from what life is really about.