Heat and humidity — we can all feel them speeding our way. With the Terrace chairs back, we can also expect to see those ridiculous salmon-colored shorts busting out soon. (Unfortunately, I’ve already seen a few pair. Come on, guys, what ever happened to camo?)
On the other hand, there are a number of less savory aspects of summer that are crawling out of hibernation. According to the FBI, the summer months are infamous for spikes in crime rates: Rape cases increase by approximately 10 percent and up-close shootings by around 16. July and August are particularly nasty.
The scariest part? We’re all so buried in our phones as we walk along that we wouldn’t know a truck from a rhinoceros if we got run over. You’ve seen the videos of people staring at texts and walking into poles and doors and mopeds, right? It’s hilarious! At least until that pole or door or moped becomes a person with a weapon.
We could all be a little safer if we just took some simple advice: “Just look up.”
These are the words of former Navy SEAL Dom Raso. When it comes to personal safety, his number one piece of advice is to stop fiddling with your phone and pay attention. “If I have the awareness — if my awareness is up and my head is out of my phone — now I can just take an exit left or go down the elevator or go down the escalator as opposed to walking into someone that’s leaning on my car or two cars waiting for me.”
His words may sound like a scene from a movie, but the threats are real. Those Timely Warnings in our inboxes aren’t jokes, after all.
Besides, I think we could all use a little less technology in our brains and a little more immediacy. This summer, despite all the photo opportunities it’s sure to provide, is a fantastic opportunity to employ another healthy habit that goes hand-in-hand with personal street safety: fewer hours on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter and more quality face time.
Aside from keeping you aware of your surroundings, believe it or not, walking places without fixating your gaze on your phone can be quite enjoyable. And an added bonus? You won’t piss off the people power walking behind you. The same goes for standing at traffic lights or while waiting for elevators. Are we so averse to interaction and silence that we can’t tolerate 20 seconds of phone-free stillness?
Yeah, it’s true: We live fast-paced lives in which we depend on rapid communication; and it’s great having a Facebook to stay in touch with people who you won’t — can’t — see otherwise. (Hence the popularity of smartphones.) Plus, “picture journaling” has become the new norm: Rather than writing things down, many people have shifted to social media to document their lives, and to some extent, that’s more than all-right. However, there exists a fine line between capturing the highlights and failing to experience the world in person while you pose, alter pose, play with filters, delete bad-angled photos, play with more filters, caption, #nofilter and post or while you text, check for texts, repeat, check the time and repeat. And far too many of us, of the younger generations, are crossing the said line.
Summer — even if you’re working, schooling or otherwise being schooled by life — should be a time when you kick back, do what you love and recover. We shouldn’t have to worry so much about being attacked on the streets, but we do. So be smart, be safe and try to pull your head out of your phone. Appreciate the 3-D world. Just look up.
Theresa Cooley ([email protected]) is a sophomore majoring in English.
