Today in cultures in varring degrees, we suffer from hiding behind the screens of our technological devises. Though technology is really nice to have, it has more influence on us than we might think. This being my first time traveling, I am begining to see just how deep this takes hold of us and how much we underestimate the damage that can be dealt if left unchecked.

I think that this hit the most when viewing the Sistine Chapel and all of the galleries and sites we’ve seen thus far into our journey here in Italy. There are a lot of people who will just take a picture and shuffle along without much inquiry in the art past the photograph. What is maddening about that is that due to modern technology, why would you even leave your house. If that is your mindset, then you can just pull up an extremely detailed picture on your computer from the internet.

The thing is that this epidemic is virtually unknown to most, if not all, some time or another to varrying time lengths. Our technology has crippled us to the point where it has become a veil prohibiting us from experiencing our lives in the current moment. When seeing the majesty of the art in person, you become vulnerable. You are inspired and convicted to think about yourself in such an intrinsic way we do not get to experience in the busy american day to day life. The importance of being still and truly experiencing the moment is that it makes you transcend your physical senses and takes you into a place of growth, knowledge, and experience.