It is commonly acknowledged that some of our best thoughts have come in the shower. This occurrence is what prompts writers, artists, and the like to keep pads of paper by their night tables and bathroom drawers.
We use showers as a form of inspiration. The reason that most of our complex ideas occur in the shower is because that is the longest period of time during our day that we are not plugged in.
These days, it seems that I spend my life acting more like a rat in a maze than a human being.
From the moment I wake up, I am herded through my morning routine, to school, where I am conditioned to think a certain way.
After I take my mandatory notes and end class at a set time, I travel to work, where I am to perform the same set of tasks with little to no variation. After my standard working hours are completed, I go home to do my assignments, eat some dinner and eventually go to sleep.
My schedule is not unique; millions of people around the globe have been doing basically the same thing for generations. What is new, however, is how time is spent between my tasks. In the last five years, a new device has surfaced which changed how we think forever. Most Americans Indeed, the smartphone is an invention to do more, but think less.
These gadgets follow us around, spewing out little bits of useless information that we absolutely eat up. In less than half a decade, it changed an entire generation: its culture, its methods of operation, and its way of thinking.
When you pull out your smartphone, you are overloaded with information. All of it is flashy and appealing, with bright notifications and cheery jingles. However, none of it is connected. There is no cause and effect between the video of a screaming goat and a picture of your friend’s lunch. What began as a brief respite from everyday tedium has evolved to a full-time occupation. You can see people whipping out their smartphones in virtually any situation: whether they are stuck in traffic, meeting a friend for lunch, or even witnessing their child’s first steps. People begin to depend, and then abuse their smartphones, continuously searching for their next “fix” of a funny video or tweet until they are spending hours upon hours scrolling and tapping without finding the gratification they are so earnestly searching for.
A product supposedly made to help us connect has in fact led to us disconnecting from others more than ever. Smartphones have led to the end of relationships, careers, and, as more people use them in their cars, lives. Smartphones increasingly replace spending time with other people, going places, or reading books. We eat with them, drive with them, work with them, and sleep with them.
Come to your own conclusions, but I believe a self-imposed break from electronics can not only be beneficial to our minds, but can reduce our water bills.