The Things they Carried

The Things they Carried

My parents beg me to remove unnecessary textbooks and dead weight from my backpack on nearly a daily basis, claiming that it weighs so much that it’s going to break my back. The conversation is so common now that it has practically become part of my morning routine for getting to school. My backpack is saturated with bold three subject notebooks, which for the most part are unnecessary for the bulk of my classes; dense textbooks, which contribute to the greater part of the weight; a recently purchased Toshiba laptop, though its condition tells a different story; a binder, which is the key to my organization and the home to all my worksheets and supplies; and last, but certainly not least, my electronics such as my cellphone and my iPod which are the center of all my communications and entertainment.
The most important item I chose to hump with me every day I believe is my smart phone. With my phone not only can a have a conversation in real time with someone on the other side of the globe in real time, but I can explore the vast ends of the Internet, see a picture of Uncle Jeff’s new dog just seconds after he posts it, and even find my way back home from practically any location on the face of the earth. Communications have developed exponentially in the past century to the degree that I find it nearly impossible to relate to my parent’s old stories of calling collect since they ran out of money or calling the operator before being able to speak to anyone. Such advanced communications have become such a major component of nearly everyone’s lives nowadays that we perform incredible feats without even thinking twice about them. Calling, texting, and using social media have become such fundamental aspects of our everyday lives that we can barely fathom a world without them. Though cell phones seem like such integral parts of our lives today, I have no doubt that in 10 years people will be astounded by how we were able to survive with such primitive technology.
Another item that I chose to hump everyday are my multiple three subject notebooks. This summer as I prepared for my journey into the unknown abyss of High School I had received so much information about what life as a High Schooler would be like, that my distorted view of how challenging High School was, caused me to panic and buy all three subject notebooks. I believe my colossal notebooks with only a few pages written in, symbolizes my expectations of how difficult High School would be and how difficult it really is. With the exception of my AP European History notebook, which is nearly full after less than a semester, my notebooks are generally empty and I believe that this not symbolizes my expectations and my reality, but it also represents how our society has changed. Gone are the days where I would sit peacefully at my desk with my notebook and a sharp number two pencil and write a story, nowadays we all collaborate on Google Docs, or write our essays using Microsoft Word. I kind of miss the feeling of crisp paper and spiral bound notebooks, but we live in a modern age and we must embrace it.
I believe that what I choose to hump everyday not only represents me and who I am, but it shows who we as a society have become an I think that is the important thing to take away from this.