You and I were lucky enough (or unfortunate enough) to be born during a unique era of technological advancement. I remember when my older brothers got their first Wii and I began to play Scooby-Doo! and the Spooky Swamp; I remember when my best friend and I would spend all our time FaceTiming in middle school; I remember when I first downloaded Tik Tok (back when it was still embarrassing); and now, here I am today: a heavily addicted cell phone user. Where did it all go wrong?

If you were to ask me about my hobbies and how I spend my time outside of classes, I would probably lie and tell you that I like to longboard with my fiancé, read, write, crochet, go to concerts and go on walks with my friends. These aren’t actually lies, but they’re things I like to do that I rarely do at all. If you were to silently observe me throughout my day, you would find that more often than not, once I have finished my work for the day, I am endlessly scrolling. Rather than living outside of my phone, I am mindlessly watching videos of my favorite chunky dachshund sitting on his legs (shoutout Pussel Buttons), sending my friends videos of Jeremiah Fisher talking about how he “majors in Beerology,” and listening to 5-minute-long storytimes from people I’ve never met. 

To what avail? What is to be gained; what is to be lost? 

Let me tell you from personal experience what is to be lost when your phone takes over your life. I am now a senior, ready to graduate nine months from now. Don’t get me wrong, I have enjoyed every moment of my college career so far, but there are a plethora of moments that I don’t remember at all, simply because they were spent scrolling. Who’s to say what potentially unforgettable memories were never formed due to my face being glued to the screen?

Like me, you are here in this unique moment in time, and you have a choice to make. What do you want your time to look like? In the whole of your college career, if you spend five hours a day on your phone, you will have spent over 300 days scrolling. Nearly a fourth of your entire time in college could be spent on your phone; will you make the active choice to let that be your reality?

And so, I encourage you to go out and love this life that you are blessed to have. Enjoy your years as a Calvin student — they will pass you by. Go to that game, sit with the people that live on your floor at lunch, get involved with events and clubs on campus, go on blind dates and allow yourself to be free from the magnetic pull of your phone.

Embrace those hobbies and the time you have with the people you love. When you answer “what do you do outside of class?”, let your answer be honest.

And most of all, a message from the very bottom of my heart: hug your friends tighter, tell them how much they mean to you, and learn to be present with the ones you love.