It was my first week of quarantine when I heard the noise.

I can’t tell you exactly what started the cacophony, but once it was there, it became endless.
It echoed in my ears as I scrolled through Twitter, as I clicked through the latest news articles. I attempted to ignore it through typical teenage methods: I binge-watched countless Netflix shows and played far too much Animal Crossing. Yet when my screen would finally flicker out, the roaring continued once more.

In these times, the internet is treated like some glistening angel, the one thing that keeps us connected to the real world. Yet when I heard that deafening sound, I didn’t feel holy. I felt numb.

So when my family turned off all technology for the holiday of Passover, I was absolutely thrilled.

In traditional Judaism, individuals refrain from using electronics during religious holidays. Passover required us to celebrate three consecutive days tech-free.

Don’t get me wrong, this was very intimidating at first: my phone was practically my lifeline, and without it, I was utterly lost. Yet as the time passed, I realized something: the noise had stopped.

And with the lack of that constant buzzing, I discovered the music in my life. Birds would whistle in exquisite harmony, and the nearby creek would murmur a haunting melody.

The world was a dazzling orchestra, and yet for all of my life, I had been wearing headphones.

Let me make this clear: this is not a plea for everyone to discard their phones and carry out the rest of their days in some remote forest. I recognize the importance of technology, especially when it remains our one constant in these ever-changing days. However, I’m beginning to wonder if perhaps we rely on it too much.

According to Addiction Tips, most people have difficulty surviving even one day without their phone. Unfortunately, I had a similar experience for those first couple hours: there’s this constant itching within you, and something primal that begs you to grasp your nearest device. In fact, there’s actually a scientific term for those who fear being without their phone. Nomophobia affects 58% of men and 47% of women. These statistics are absolutely horrifying. How have we gotten to a place where the only light in our lives is from the relentless glow of our cell phones? 

But this addiction doesn’t need to be something permanent. We have the opportunity to take a break, to shut off our phone and simply live. Maybe then we can all find our music.