I spent another 10 ish days without a cell phone (the last time being UniCamp a month ago). Unlike camp though, this time I walked around Europe as part of the minority, in this phone-lacking club.
I AM SO LIBERATED.
Really. REALLY. I know it's becoming cliche to say, as people are becoming more aware of the affects of constant communication via the interwebs. But it's studied and focused on for a reason! Having a smartphone has changed my brain. And not having a phone at all for the time being has slowly started to change me back. Back to when I walked around the world with just me, my thoughts, and my interactions with the physical, present world. Not a world where I log in or post or check or scan the page gathering little bits of lives from people I don't really know anymore, never really did, or, frankly, don't care much about.
Now don't get me wrong, my brain is still wired to get much joy from seeing that little red notification flag on my facebook page. But more than anything, my time away from a smartphone and my computer while traveling have given me the pure, uninterrupted freedom to be present. Really be present with the people around me and in observing the subtle similarities and differences between my home and this world across the Atlantic.
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