8 in the morning

My eyes creaked open to the piercing sound of an alarm. I turned on my back and cursed the source of the noise. Straining my neck to glimpse at what infernal man-made device was spewing forth such unholy crescendos, I realised that it was my phone alarm making that blatant beeping.

I reach for it, fumbling between pillow and mattress for the vile device, both a curse and a reliance. A friend of mine once asked me, "Why do we rely on these devices? I can never leave my home without it, but it takes so much space in my pocket" I replied, "Because your entire life revolves around your social life" "Without your phone, no one can contact you and without human contact, you'd rather take yourself out back and blow your brains out".

If that were truly the case, if human beings were so reliant on mobile phones and other communication devices for connectivity to the outside world, why go out at all? It's human nature to want to need human contact. Take Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of needs for example. The level of human belonging. Human beings need to know that they have a purpose in the world, in their world. Sex functions as a reward for being a good human being as are other things, but in the end, we need a semblance in our lives that tells us: We're indeed wanted.

Back to the issue of the mobile phone, or was it waking up. Ah yes, waking up. I finally found the phone lodged unceremoniously between my head and the salivated pillow that acts as a sense of comfort yet plays a more believable role as a rock. I press the snooze button and check the time. The number 8 followed by two zeros greet my eyes. I snort in amusement and lay my head back down in an effort to console my aching heart that I was awakened at such an ungodly hour. I am in fact on holiday.

I'm wide awake.

This morning's post is brought to you by the number 8, the color white and the word technology. The number 8 for the self-respecting act of pertaining that 8 in the morning is in fact an ungodly hour to be awake (while on holiday of course). The color white for the infuriating effort of trying to sleep and closing one's eyes only to be staring (eyes closed) at a blinding light from outside and the word technology, for the stupid phone that woke me up in the morning, yet which I am so reliant towards.