That was how the day began.
My body, having been trained now for years, responds instantly. Boom - I pop out of bed, silence the blaring sound, and start grabbing some clothes to get in the shower.
20 seconds ago, I was sound asleep, completely inactive, resting. But now I'm wide awake and anxious to get the day going. And it's all because a tiny machine made a little sound my ears are trained to hear.
And sometimes, my alarm does make me anxious. It signals a new day, a rush to get going, and often, I'm tired. But I still obey, every time.
Then my next urge comes. I walk back into my room, and quickly open and close the door so the light doesn't reach my sleeping roommate. There on my desk sits the same device that wakes me up each day without fail. At this point, I wonder if I would wake up without it.
Notification
I'm just about to pick up my phone and read its screen. Hidden behind the blackness of the dark screen is a list of things that it thinks are important for me:
Emails
Text messages
Weather updates
School assignments
Missed calls
..........
The list could go on. It does go on. Ironically, while some of these notifications are from real people, others are generated by computers. Computers with a message for me.
My hand starts reaching down to open my phone and view whatever it has prepared for me when I'm hit suddenly with a memory.
Scripture
Hesitantly, I resist the urge and instead of opening my phone, I choose to open the Book of Mormon. I flip open at random - again to view whatever "it" has prepared for me - and I read one short verse that reminds me to be hopeful about the future. That little act helped me feel a lot better than I thought it would. Which brings me to an important point.
Mission
Just two short months ago, I lived differently. As a missionary, my apps, messaging, news, and yes, my notifications were all limited. I lived that way for two years. And I got used to it. So used to it that it became normal. I lived a simplified life. And honestly, it was great!
So as I've moved back into the real world, my tight filters have dropped and media is seeping back in. But I'm fighting it.
Homework
Later that afternoon, I'm working on a school assignment in a digital design software called Figma. Its name is fitting, as it reminds me of the word, "figment," which means something imaginary or only thought of. I'm unfamiliar with how to use it, so I end up watching some YouTube videos that teach me how to begin.
It takes me a lot of time, hours even. But what I create only has value when viewed on some digital platform. If I went back in time 100 years, I wouldn't exist, and my design wouldn't exist. They would just be figments, things in my head, and memories I hold.
The same thing would be true if I went somewhere in the world with no phones, no internet, or no electricity. I wouldn't be woken up before light, I wouldn't be notified by something besides my own 5 senses, and life would be much simpler.
Wouldn't it be nice to live without figments?
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