Ray Zhang
I went camping over the weekend for three nights at Chincoteague VA. I spent a lot of hours away from technology throughout the weekend doing many things but perhaps the most impactful and appropriate hour spent away from technology was just sitting around a campfire with friends and after they had gone to bed.
Night has swallowed the campsite and everything is blanketed by the darkness. The sky is barely visible behind the large pine trees, and where there is sky it is bright and peppered with stars. There is a slight but constant breeze flowing through the air, originating from the wide open marshlands nearby. In front of me is a fire, roaring and flickering about as it engulfs the fire wood. The fire is volatile and always moving, transitioning from one form to another, yet the heat it brings is a stable and consistent force constantly pushing against my body. The real power of fires is not its heat though, it is its ability to draw in humans and animals, and even keep us sedated. I sit around the fire, merrily conversing with my friends. Conversations are light but meaningful. Everybody is enjoying themselves, either hanging out or doing their own things around the fire. People come and go as they start preparing to sleep, and as time passes on there are less and less people around the fire. Eventually I am the last person around the fire. The fire itself is dwindling, and now a much less formidable version of itself. Its flames are constantly being pushed down by the wind, as if it was toying with the fire’s life. As I stare at the dying fire alone, my thoughts begin to drift away. I begin to reminisce about the past few days, thinking about all the fun I had. A bit of sadness creeps in as I realize most of the vacation is over and soon enough I’ll be back to living my usual life. Thoughts about all the responsibilities, homework, pressing concerns, and future problems I have start rushing through my brain. Thoughts of each thing I have to do start racing through my brain, each thought like a train carrying loads of heavy thoughts. My mind begins to have trouble continuing thoughts as a new one comes racing in, blowing the previous one off its tracks. Before things get too hectic I remind myself to live in the moment and just appreciate the time I have spent and the time I have left. My thoughts slow down and I begin to just stare at the fire, barely alive with only a few pieces of wood and some flickering embers. I just sit there, letting all my senses take everything in. I see the dull orange flames and bright red embers. I feel the slight heat against my toes and feet, and the wind grazing my back. I hear the insects chirping in the background. I smell the burnt wood and ashes in front of me, and the clean air all around me. After a little while of just enjoying the peace I finally go back into my tent and go to sleep.
The time I spent with technology was using my computer before bed and on my phone in bed. While on the computer I was playing games, browsing reddit, watching shows and chatting with friends. While in bed and on my phone I am playing phone games, looking through reddit, or watching youtube videos. Whenever I am using technology, no matter the activity or setting, I seem to get lost within the screen and lose track of my surroundings. I also seem to lose the ability to think and just tunnel vision into whatever I am doing on the phone of computer. With such convenient access to technology nowadays it personally seems like it is much easier to get distracted. Phones and computers seem to be able to take you on rides. You stay wherever you’re at, mostly motionless and just submitting yourself to the journey it takes you on. It may seem like you’re in control as you are the one clicking and deciding “where to go”, however the screen still has you trapped in its own world, and has taken you on a journey through the web, away from the physical world.
Comparing and contrasting these two experiences showed me a couple things about how my experiences affected my thoughts and senses. In nature and especially when alone, my brain is “working”. I am able to think about things. My thoughts may run amok sometimes but otherwise things proceed logically or rationally while I am in nature. Processing information and knowing what the next logical step to take seems to be the natural state of being, however when using technology, things seem to eventually default to just taking in information and nothing else. Another thing I noticed between the two experiences was how they affected how I took in my surroundings. While in nature I am able to absorb everything around me. I notice whatever my senses are able to sense at least. I can see, feel, hear, etc. While using technology though, instead of absorbing the setting around me, I become absorbed into whatever activity I’m doing. I get lost in the screen and lose track of what is around me. I lose track of my senses, except for sight, and get lost in whatever world I choose to be in. What I’ve really learned from this is that when using technology it is very easy to get lost into what you’re doing, and in nature it is easier to get lost in your thoughts.