By NICK SIRIANNO
I regret to say that a lot of this campus has missed what happened this fall. Some of you might be thinking of the Robby Glass rumor, or the night Coach joined in on the dance floor, while others might be thinking about the time the O.C. invaded the SUNY Taco Bell. I’m not talking about these intangible issues, but about the transformation of the natural world from season to season.
Now I know what you are probably thinking: “I’ve seen the leaves change, its really cool.” I’m sure that many of you have seen the leaves, but there are many of you who don’t recognize the changes because your heads are hanging low. I don’t mean “down in the dumps.” I mean that your eyes are constantly on your touchy phones or tappy pads as you walk from class to class.
What is the rush? I understand that it’s completely disrespectful to openly text in class and that if we don’t answer our emails, texts, and tweets immediately that our social lives will crumble. But this is not true! Being social isn’t in the messaging, it’s in the face-to-face interactions we share with each other. The words you write in your phone will disappear in, what is it, like 200 texts or something? Your friends will remember the words you use in person because they are your friends. You’re missing out on some major ideals of life when you build your social life around your phone.
I tell this to you because I’ve had a few close calls with the walk-n-texters this semester. While riding my bike, I’ve seen texters walking straight towards me without any signs of wavering. Yes, it’s my duty to avoid you, but it honestly looks like you have no idea where you’re going or what’s in front of you while your head is stuffed in your phone. You’re missing out. It looks like you’re rushing, and not caring at all about your campus. There’s a lot to be seen up in the trees, on the ground, or even walking right next to you, your friends.
Walking texters don’t look like they want to be talked to or even said a friendly “hello” to. You’re endangering yourselves with the possibility of tripping, getting run down by a pack of bikes and forgetting how to interact with strangers, classmates, even close friends. Try just walking from class to class one day without your phone. Look around you and out in front of you to see which friends are coming. Anticipate real, physical interactions with people and not screens. You’ll find that we go to a school with some of the most amazing people we we’ll ever know in our lives and on one of the most beautiful campuses in the country. There is so much more to be learned from where we are and who we are with than from what we say in our fingertip chats.
Finally, I ask you to think about how honestly you can express laughter in a text. Can it compare to the real thing? There’s a satisfaction in looking back and seeing someone smiling and laughing uncontrollably that the “hahahah” just doesn’t create on the screen.
