Screens

My sister and I recently went to two Hanson shows together. We had a blast. And half the fun is sharing the pictures and videos with our friends afterward. But part of the experience made me ponder the downside to living in the digital world.

The first time we went to see them live was last fall. We were *beyond* excited. I mean, we made homemade t-shirts, we planned out exactly how the day was going to go, and we spent the whole day down in the Loop just hanging out and hoping for a glimpse of our favorite band. I brought my video camera to document our exciting day and Caroline brought her nice, small digital still camera. We made a pretty funny video and got some great shots of the show. I really cherish the memories we created.

But here’s what makes me sad about our society. We were in the front row for the first show. There were girls next to us that were hardcore fans who had been to like 36 shows or something. That’s cool, I guess. But like 75% of the show, they were busy texting people (about what was happening at the concert? I don’t know) or taking pictures with their phone and saving them or sending them or whatever. My point is, they missed seeing the show *with their own eyes*.

Last month Caroline and I went on “The Walk,” a one mile walk through SLU’s campus that Hanson does to raise awareness to poverty issues in Africa. (Okay, we didn’t actually do the walk this time because we had Ivy with us and it was rainy and cold). But anyway, it’s very cool. Afterward, they performed an acoustic song in the bookstore. Tons of people were there with their video/still cameras or cell phones. They all documented the moment. Caroline and I did the same thing. But the sad thing is that people were watching the song through their electronic device—you know, the display that shows you what you’re recording. It just boggles my mind…you are here LIVE with this awesome band and you choose to watch them through a SCREEN? You can do that at home for crying out loud. Live in the moment, see things with your OWN EYES.

Caroline and I both reminded each other to intentionally watch the concert and enjoy it without letting our desire to document it get in the way. Really, when you think back to a concert, you don’t remember what you took pictures of—the pictures you took just spark the memory you have of seeing the band. The pictures are just a reminder of what you remember, not the memory itself.

So all I’m saying is, get your head out from behind your camera/phone and experience life!

Didn't have a camera by my side this time / Hoping I would see the world through both my eyes / Maybe I will tell you all about it when I'm / in the mood to lose my way / but let me say / You should have seen that sunrise with your own eyes / it brought me back to life

3x5--John Mayer