I’m sure I wasn’t the only person who melted down on Sunday night upon discovering Webmail was down. It shouldn’t have been a big deal. I mean people lived without e-mail for years. What would a few hours be?

Hours turned into what felt like days as I tried to log-on to my e-mail to no avail. I tried not to panic, but could not help wondering if there was an unread e-mail saying my looming chemistry class was cancelled.

Throughout the day I became more irritated as I realized how pathetic it was that I couldn’t go an hour without checking my messages. What had my life come to? Was I so reliant on technology that I had a near panic attack when something malfunctioned?

Sure, my cell phone still worked, but what about the outside world who didn’t have that number? I was freaking out and could find no solution in my pending problem.

Then it hit me. I didn’t need e-mail to communicate. What happened to seeking someone out and talking to that person face to face? Just because we have technology to make our lives easier doesn’t mean we should abandon the old fashioned manners we learned growing up. Not having e-mail for one day forced me to communicate with professors in person. I was even able to relax a little knowing that I couldn’t be bothered by spam and other junk e-mail on an hourly basis.

Maybe at the peak of another stressful day Webmail will shut down again, allow me to collect my thoughts, and realize there’s more to life than always relying on technology.

Nicole Jacobsen is a junior journalism and advertising double major. She can be reached for comment at [email protected].