The Problem With the Internet

The problem with the internet is that it has replaced the zest for real life. There are hundreds of sites where even on just one you could spend hours upon hours watching videos and looking at pictures of the world. We spend so much time looking at pictures of what we could be doing that we never actually do anything. Before the internet, anyone who wanted to see the world and other cultures had to pick up and physically go there. It took planning, effort, and motivation. With a view of the world at our fingertips, we believe we don't have to move from our beds to become "cultured" and educated.

In reality, we are losing the momentum to actually see real life. To experience real life. You could watch surfing videos from Tahiti all day, but unless you get off your butt and go there, you really won't be gaining a single thing. You'll actually be losing. Losing muscle, and losing years of your life. I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that the more you sit, the shorter your life span is. This doesn't bode well for desk job workers (unless you make yourself a standing desk). Or students really, but luckily we aren't in school forever.

The point of all this is to not get lost in the imaginary life of the internet. Don't get lost in what you think is "being productive" when you aren't actually doing anything. Being here and away from the type of life I'm used to has made me think a lot about the way I spend my time. I've thought about it before, especially when it is mindlessly scrolling through wimp videos. (Surprise on that: it's fun, but not productive.) But here, with the opportunities I have open, I think about it even more. Use your time to better yourself. Experience life and your friends. After an entire afternoon has passed and you've realized that you could have learned 50 new words but instead watched a movie, life gets real. Don't waste your time on the fake. Be real. Don't just sit and watch life, stand and be in it.