My older son is an elite distance runner and has been invited to race at meets all over the country this spring. Additionally, we’ve been going on recruiting visits that span both coasts. All that to say, I’ve been on a lot of planes lately. During the most recent plane ride, I was standing in the back at the lavatory waiting my turn. My vantage point offered a view of all the seated passengers down the aisle, many of whom were looking at their phones and watching short-form videos such as those on TikTok or Instagram reels. 

Most airlines now offer onboard Wi-Fi, so even a plane ride isn’t a way to encourage people to unplug and do something different for their brain. As I looked at all those people scrolling on their phones, it made me wonder what they would be doing if they didn’t have the option to get online. Would they be reading? Sleeping? Talking to their neighbor? Journaling? Drawing? Knitting? Playing solitaire on their tray table?

Lucky for me, I guess, short-form videos give me a headache so I don’t watch them, but I see firsthand the pull they have on teenagers and adults alike. And for full transparency, even though I wasn’t scrolling on my phone during the plane ride, I used the onboard Wi-Fi to get on my laptop and check work emails, something I would not have done in the past when Wi-Fi wasn’t an option.

I had similar thoughts walking through the airports. The majority of people were passing the time doing this or that on their phones, all of their attention focused on a tiny device in their hand instead of the big world around them. Again, in the past, a walk through an airport would’ve brought scenes of people talking, reading or napping.

While technology has made many aspects of life more efficient, it also makes us lazy. I see that in my own life routinely and work hard to intentionally limit my dependence upon tech. For instance, I’ve always been terrible at directions, but before GPS was readily available, I had to figure it out with paper maps, MapQuest and memorization. Many times, I stopped at gas stations and asked for assistance. Even though all of that was hard, it was good for my brain and over time, the directions stuck and I knew how to get where I needed to go. Even though I use Google Maps daily because I’m still terrible at directions, I’ve been working to release my reliance upon it.

Similarly, I’m avoiding Amazon if at all possible and buying items in-person or from a direct website. I don’t want to be a slothish consumer, and I’ve always been an advocate for shopping locally. It’s a myth that items at smaller stores are more expensive, and it’s a wonderful feeling to know I’m supporting a local business and my county’s economy. Nonetheless, I recognize how easy it is to buy something quickly online. When I feel that nudge to take the easy way, I say “Nope,” then get in my car and shop in my own town.

I bought a dress at The Modern Deer for my son’s eighth-grade graduation. I was out of vitamins and purchased them at Kim’s Pharmacy. We needed a birthday gift for a teenage girl, which we found by combining items from Lift Your Spirits and Hazelwood Soap Company. My son needed two books for summer reading. Blue Ridge Books ordered them for us and they arrived in two days. One of the boys needed a helmet for an e-bike, so my husband got one at Waynesville Cycle Center. Several family members needed new swimsuits and swim trunks this year, so we bought them at Belk instead of shopping online. I know Belk is a chain, but it still feels “local-ish” when compared to Amazon. I’ve mentioned a few local retail establishments by name but there are so many others we love — Affairs of the Heart, Christopher Farms, 828 Market, Silver Treasures, Mud Dabbers and so on.

There’s an essay called “The Energies of Men” by William James where James discusses that men (and women) rarely tap into their true energy sources, that we often live by using only a small amount of physical and psychological energy. This feels safer to us than tapping into the deep reservoir of powerful, creative energies we all possess. While it’s always there, it often takes passion or crisis to tap into this deeper source. James’s essay was written in 1907, when smartphones and the internet were inconceivable. Even back then, we weren’t using our full capabilities or maxing out our natural talents, so we can only imagine how much worse it is now that we have phones and computers to pull our attention away from everything beautiful in the world and make us mindless consumers instead of master creators.

When people say “be the resistance,” this is where my mind goes. Resist the temptation to get sucked into these one-dimensional apps or to allow a little square, flashy box to be your entire life. Look up! Simply being alive is the most magical of all gifts. While technology is here to stay, we have control over how it impacts our lives and legacies. 

(Susanna Shetley is a writer and editor who lives in Waynesville. susanna.b@smokymountainnews.com.)