Look up: you might miss something

By: Evan Shaub – Opinions Editor

Look up.

When I was walking onto campus the other day, I realized something. Nearly everyone I passed was looking down at their cellphones or was distracted by something that wasn’t around them – something that seemed unimportant.

I remember reading a column by our opinions editor two years ago about this same topic and felt compelled to write something of my own.

Too often we get so caught up in the world of technology that we forget to look at all of the great things around us.

Next time you walk into class, try not to look at your phone or listen to music.

It’s tough, but it’s worth it. When you’re walking on campus and take the time to truly look around, you’ll come to appreciate this place for what it really is.

Everything that has been built here is for you. It’s for the students.

Everything was constructed so the students are happier, so they have a better chance of getting a great education and so they have a better opportunity to succeed in life.

If you don’t look up once in a while, you might miss something, whether it’s a specific incident or a collection of moments. Don’t waste all of this valuable time here distracted by something that’s not as important as the people around you.

When you leave here, you’re going to leave a lot behind, but you’ll also take a lot with you.

You’ll take the memories you have here, you’ll take the lessons you learned here and apply it to the rest of your life.

The conversations you have with your roommates and friends may teach you more than some of your classes do. You just have to pay attention.

Our technology is great: it helps all of us in so many ways.

We can communicate with anyone more easily than people ever were able to before, we can look up the answer to just about any question on Google and we can store information in larger quantities than ever before.

Humans have been speaking to one another for 10,000 years, and cellphones just came out in the mass market around 10 years ago.

We’re the first generation of the digital age, a new world with new rules and standards for evaluating others.

We were raised with technology our parents never had. So, all things considered, if you’re a student at the University of Dayton, they probably did a pretty good job.

It’s important to remember that your cellphone is a tool. It’s meant to help you; it’s not meant to be your whole life.

If you’re reading this, you’re probably looking down at the paper.

I encourage you to look up, see what’s around you and strike up a conversation with someone you know.

Get as much as you can out of every situation. These days won’t last forever.