The Loss of Human Connection

We all have heard constantly about the reprecutions of our reliance on technology: link to cancer, loss of human connection, obesity, depression, etc. It may be hard to admit, but we are guilty. We all enjoy that morning scroll through all our social media apps. We feel as though it is the most thorough way to contact that long lost college friend. But have we become so connected that we forget there was a time where we could be active, mindful individuals? 

Recently I was looking at Kim Kardashian's instagram of my best friend. Even after shes left, I can't help but look for any trace of her that I can. But what really pulled me under were the comments people would leave. One claimed she had no right to say "SJU '17" on her instagram because she wouldn't even live that long.. Have we seriously advanced so far as a society only to take gigantic leaps backward?

I was always that little girl who jumped to ask her mother if she had mail before she even entered the room. Any invitation, letter, or thank you card put me on top of the world. Those simple times when we didn't need to know what strangers were doing, wearing, or eating. 

I feel like it's so easy for human beings to detch themselves from one another. We all exist. We are all human beings. So put down your phone, and remember that we weren't created to live isolated from the rest of the world.

education or experience?

Can you imagine being a woman in a time period where education was not an option? Times have changed. Our society has changed. Yet now, American culture requires an individual to receive a college education in order to qualify for a job. It has even gone beyond that requesting an applicant have "experience". To be honest I think it's horse-shit. 

Throughout high school, I longingly anticipated the day when I was able to decorate a dorm room, say peace out to my parents, and meet awesome people just like me. I tried this for a bit too. Last year, I was all set at the University of Vermont, a college that I thought I would never want to leave. But something happened and it didn't end up working out. I was past the partying, past the disgusting dining hall food, and past the hook up culture of my generation. I transfered to Monmouth University (a college 20 mins. from my house) in the winter of 2013 and have been there since, working & commuting. 

There have been several instances where I have wanted to drop it all and run. 

Our society has created such high expectations for young adults regarding their education, yet they can't seem to trust us with anything else. We are hardly even seen as adults at 18 and are frowned upon for even drinking a glass of wine before 21. How is it that we can't have a sip of wine, but we can plan our whole life and career out before reaching our twenties? In my opinion, travel should be encouraged. We should all know what it is like to be poor, to be lonely, to be independent, and we should all know what it is like to work our asses off for minimum wage. 

How can a person live in the real world, when they don't even know what the real world consists of?