Dylan Wake
It’s 4pm. Class has just ended. Of course, it’s time to just do nothing for an hour. Possibly more. I start with just playing on my Nintendo Switch for a while, and texting intermittently. The game is fun, but every now and then I pause and browse Reddit just to see discussions about shows I watch or pictures of sneakers. This goes on for a while, flying on to 4:30. Bits of information enter my head, but almost all of them part ways with me immediately. New Balance is releasing a new shoe model this week. GameStop’s stock price has dropped almost by 150% in a day. By this point, I’m getting too distracted to play longer, so the Switch goes into rest mode. Now it’s time to just browse Blackboard, looking at my assignments and marking down what I need to do. Looking through other discussion board posts, my hour of technology seems different in detail but essentially the same as everyone else’s. By now it’s 4:45. I top off the hour by eating a late lunch and watching some of The Clone Wars on my PC, and returning back to Reddit on my phone. And so, I return to multitasking, barely absorbing any of the details of either source as the clock strikes 5.
It’s 7pm. I go on a short walk to enjoy the neighborhood after dark. Of course, there are less people around so I get to walk at my own pace. There had been a cloud cover for a few days, and snow was still bound to come down, so I could not see any of the stars. I hear almost nothing, besides the ambience of the highway a few miles down the road. There are no birds out anymore, but occasionally one will fly above my head. The only sound is the crunching of the snow under my boots. And it’s an enjoyable one. Sometimes a gust of wind will blow by, or a tree will drop snow onto my head. It’s nice not to have to really think about anything except where my feet are taking me. I reach the forest in the back of my neighborhood and it’s as quiet as ever. The trees sway, and I take it in. The tranquility sets me at ease. I head back home feeling refreshed, knowing I’ll feel this way until I go to sleep tonight.
There isn’t much I learn from being indoors all the time. In truth, I only learn small factoids that further my bare understanding of the world, and tidbits that I will forget in an hour. It is addicting and alluring to me, however, because of how consumable it is. Compared to my nature walk, I was fed more raw information in my hour of technology. I can’t really put into words what I “learned” walking through my neighborhood. It’s the same sidewalk I’ve walked every night since I moved there, and it’s the same amount of snow that shows up every few years. Not to say that this was not an enjoyable experience; it just opposes everything that staying indoors stands for. For one, I don’t think I’d be able to walk outdoors for hours and hours on a daily basis the same way I can play games till midnight. But, this is just how the outdoors are: a greater scale of information that we no longer need to prioritize in our daily lives. I enjoyed the opportunity to take a broad look at my outside world, but I’m alright staying indoors most of the time. Like Bill McKibben says, money supplants skill. Just as the wealthy couple could not sail, the crew members do not know how to pursue any other interest. We all have settled into being distant from nature, and I’m not lying to myself about that. It is not fundamental to human life anymore. But, if I could not go on a hike ever again, I’d be truly saddened. When I have the chance, I’ll be going on a hike again. Just don’t tell McKibben that I end the day watching TV, we both know I’m happily stupid.