The fasting of Corey Cook
BLOG: Corey's Thinking Out Loud
By Corey Cook, Blogger
April 23, 2008 | 6 p.m.
These were some of the thoughts that confronted me.
In front of my face, hidden in bright orange paper,
Lay a great challenge, a strange caper.
For my Journalism 105 class, the first project had come at last;
We were to abstain from any media for a full day, in other words, a fast.
Being the wired person that I am, it was a hard task to mask
All of my frustration, to go without logging on the Internet and recording how I last.
No books, no cell phones, no TV, not even a telegraph,
I pondered on about the project for a few days, trying to find a path.
So on Saturday night, January 12, at exactly 11:49,
I started my media fast, feeling fine.
I woke up groggy, around 7:01,
Trying to keep myself from my laptop, remembering my fast had begun.
7:45 trying to find something that would entertain,
I sat in silence to meditate, keeping me quietly sane.
8:03 meditation was boring, suffice to say,
So at 8:35, I took a long shower, one of the few highlights of my day.
9:05 came, and with it hunger followed.
So I microwaved a Breakfast bowl, it was delicious every time I swallowed.
But deliciousness has its cost. I would soon find out about that after I ate,
Because after a small nap, around 10:35, I woke up with a killer stomachache.
Finally, around 11:23, fed up with staring out into space,
I got up from bed and did a short pace.
After almost 12 hours of this ordeal, I didn’t take into account,
What I would exactly be doing and how difficult a challenge this would be to mount.
Then, eureka! An idea hit.
“I’ll go on a long walk, just for the heck of it!”
So with blue sweats a shinin’ I did walk to the gym, Ping.
But it wasn't open, to no surprise. I have a habit of these kinds of things happening.
By 12:25, after grabbing a bite to eat,
I started on my long walk, helping to achieve my no media feat.
Past the golf course, past Ping, the Stadium and even the Convo,
Following the path, not having the slightest clue where it would go.
The air was cold, and landscape was not exactly pretty,
Filled with the result of urban development, even here in Athens, made me feel some pity.
1:30 rolled around, and I just passed a sign reading, “The Plains,” and thought,
“Am I still in Ohio?” I decided to start my walk back, the cold breeze I fought.
Past the stadium again, and the golf course,
I finally returned to my dorm, feeling fatigue and slight remorse.
2:45 off to the library, for a scholarship requirement.
In the rules, media for classes and jobs were OK, no rule was bent.
3:03 I signed in, I knew my task, and I didn’t stray from my path,
If this project had any benefits, it was the first time I enjoyed doing any homework involving math.
The sounds of cell phones ringing, the sight of iPods, er… poding,
Led into thoughts of temptation, “What exactly I am doing?”
I finish my math around 5:00, went to print off a Word document,
It might sound as if I was on the computer for long, I wasn’t! If I were going to do this I would make sure it’s time well spent.
I walked home around 6:36, the dusk finally settled into night,
Almost five more hours, and I ended this wonderfully strange plight.
But, low, the last five hours were the hardest indeed;
Around 7:05, I started to get media hungry, a temptation to feed.
I was trying to go back to Ping around 8:00,
But it was surprisingly crowded, even this late.
I returned around 8:15, I was trying to do some laundry;
However, someone was using all the washers. This was driving me crazy!
I sat in my room for two full hours
Contemplating how long I could keep this, using all of my will power.
Finally, I had an idea pop into my head,
“Hey, why don't I take a nap in my bed?”
So around 10:15,
I took a short nap to let off the steam
And the pressure of the project on me,
And I awoke at exactly 11:57, I did it (Finally!)
For a reward of my 24 hour fast,
I gave myself an hour on my laptop to catch up with the day I passed.
Well that was my 24 hour fast from media, and what did I learn?
Not so fast, let's start with knowledge that I didn't earn:
I didn't find a political conspiracy,
This wasn't a documentary, like “Super Size Me.”
I didn't become a martyr or some social figure.
I did it for class, do you get the picture?
When reflecting on the result by the project’s end,
I realized that media is naturally a part of humans that we all depend.
It does not have to be a TV or computer,
From design on drinks to your clothes, the media’s influence is bigger than Jupiter.
It is not just an American thing or some evil corporate scheme,
Media is a symbiotic part of society, a bond of man and machine.
We live off podcasts, YouTube and CNN,
They have become a natural part of daily life, almost a friend.
Media spans generations, cultures, religion,
Beyond languages and even land divisions;
It exaggerates truth, creates stereotypes and even fuels wars;
It also shows humility, humanity and opens people, besides trying to sell cars.
So the next time you’re forced to go with no iPod, computer, not even a TV,
Try doing without all of those things for 24 hours, and ask how would you be?
Could you do it? Would you go crazy?
Or would you realize the world around you, beyond watching “The OC?”
Well that’s my point that I had to make,
I hope everyone who reads it starts thinking about this conversation; it’s fuel for debate.
I know one thing about this poem that I surely would like to say,
For all of this hard work, trying to make everything rhyme, I hope I get an A.
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