Admit it. We have a problem. Technology is taking over our lives, for better or worse.

Do you have that nagging urge to pull out your phone during a lull in a conversation? Do you have that nagging urge to respond to a text in the middle of class? Do you have that nagging urge to scroll through your Twitter feed while you’re supposed to be working?

If you said yes to any or all of the above questions, technology is most likely taking over your life, or on its way to it. I’ll be the first one to admit that I am addicted to technology, like many others from the millennial generation. But, instead of succumbing to our urges, we should try to fight against the obsessive tendencies. Spending an exorbitant amount of time focusing on our phones is wasteful; we should be embracing the moment we’re living in.

In this new era, technology, especially social media, is breaking down global barriers and creating a more connected society. Now, we can keep in touch with friends in different states and even countries via email, texting and video chatting. Also, technology has contributed to a more collaborative world, with people sharing knowledge and ideas through the Internet. But this ease of communication has brought about many other problems – lack of privacy, need for immediate gratification, less in-person interaction and the list goes on forever.

We could debate for hours on whether or not the advent of technology has been beneficial to the progress of humanity, but it is evident to all that technology has led to the decline of social interaction.

I frequently witness this scene in public: a group of friends sitting in a circle, laughing in unison. But there’s one catch — they are all staring at their phone screens, enthralled with the newest post, tweet, meme, etc. I’m sure I’m guilty of participating in this as well, but the habit strikes me as being strange. Why do we feel the need to talk to friends far away when there’s a group of people right there? Instead, we should appreciate what’s in front of us before it’s too late.

We only have four days of school left until graduation and about two more months with our friends and family before we depart for college and begin a new chapter in our lives. While many of us will be staying in state for college, some of us will be going hundreds of miles away, like myself. But, above all, we will be leaving behind everything we’ve known for the past 17 or 18 years for new adventures.

Despite ease of communication, friendships will inevitably fade because we’ll be too busy building our new lives in college, making different friends, taking challenging classes and so forth. Even if you end up attending the same college as your best friends from high school, there is no guarantee that you guys will stay friends in college. Therefore, let’s cherish the little time we have left in Carmel because it won’t last forever.

So please, I’m begging you. Put down that phone before it’s too late.

Claudia Huang will be attending Harvard University in the fall. Reach her at [email protected].