Peace through Solitude

[Patrick Witt]

Recently, I have been going through some tough events, and I felt I was distant from what I really wanted to focus on. That, for me, was music. I felt like it had been ages since I last played. The worst part was that I had a lot of musical performances and auditions coming up. Normally, I try to get through tough situations and just forget about them after the fact. This time, however, said solution would not work, so I tried a different method.

We as Americans are so inclined in having technology at our fingertips every second of every day. We always have our computers and phones and whatnot. We love being in touch with others somehow. Sometimes, this could distract us from what we truly what to get out of life. This "different method" I tried was simple: go cold turkey on phone communications and Facebook. The only social site I used was the Ning because I needed to get some of my contributions in. All I did for an entire week was focus entirely on music. I discovered new artists, realized how beautiful some old ones were, wrote a couple of pieces and improved one of my own, and practiced my IMEA piece for auditions on October 11 (if I'm not mistaken). I applied for a job (of which she has not e-mailed me back on), got a few driving hours in, and felt like I got a lot more done. Personally, I can't say I've felt as good as I did that week in quite some time.

So why do you think that we, as Americans, are so tied to electronic communications with our peers, friends, and families? What is it that we really get out of it? Does it overshadow our personal lives too much?

[Sarah Obrzut]

i think i might try to cut back from facebook and my cell phone. i need to focus more on school and work and more important things in life. i think people feel the need to be constantly connected to their friends, when really they should be focusing more on themselves. goodluck in v-show by the way!

[Jessi Jorgensen]

I'm honestly very impressed with how you distanced yourself from technology. I've always wanted to have even just a day or two without Facebook, my phone and the computer just to see if I could get more accomplished. I know I could get a lot more homework done and like you did, focus on my music. But i must say though, I do try my best to get at least an hour of each day where I focus on things other then whats new on Facebook.

[Lauren Olson]

I feel like I waste so much of my day on technology. It has become part of my routine and many Americans routnie to depend on technology, which can be hard to break. I admire your week cold turkey from Facebook.

[Grace Stapleton]

Technology is everywhere so it's kind of hard to avoid. Since things like texting and messaging is so easy, people just want to do it all the time. But that's a good idea to ignore that for a little while and focus on what really matters in life. Good luck in your audition. :)

[Kristina Lopez]

I defiantly think that technology is taking over our lives, it bothers me that some kids can't go an entire period without texting someone. I would agree that more and more, people are starting to not care as much about important things in their life. I also have been caring more about music and school work more than the internet. Good luck on your IMEA audition!