In my previous column, I discussed one flaw of my generation—the societal divide that finds us becoming too dependent on the Internet and virtual communication. I understand that with what I am going to say I run the risk of sounding entirely too emotional, too cliché and too knowledgeable about something I find hard to live by every day.

But despite all those risks, I don’t care.

I’ve recently rediscovered this sense of self-evaluation and I must admit, I really didn’t like parts of the lifestyle I have become accustomed to. Like many of us, I think I am over-stressed, over-worked and lacking time to take care of the things in life I truly appreciate. I spend hours glued behind a computer screen, writing words for readers I will never meet and using my “downtime” to aimlessly wander on Facebook, catch up on Google Chat or waste my brain on Stumbleupon.com.

This brief description of what goes on in my daily life probably isn’t much different from many. However, during my self-evaluation, I learned that my dependence on technology, once again, is something I am learning to despise.

For instance, when I catch glimpses of the online personas of my Facebook friends, some of whom I am exclusively an online friend, I waste time I don’t have with profiles of people I barely know.

Meanwhile, in that time I squander on Facebook, I could have talked to my mother at home or caught up with the friend I haven’t talked to in a couple of weeks. I have stopped appreciating these real connections I have in my life, the face-to-face ones, because I have worked this habit of social networking into part of my “hectic” schedule.

It wasn’t until I felt as if I could lose something, or someone, who is very important in my real world (not my virtual one) that I began to focus on my lack of appreciation for things that matter.

I couldn’t care less about which person I knew once upon a time in high school who is dating another person from my hometown. I couldn’t care less about the smelly bum on the train who ruined someone’s commute that morning. I also couldn’t care less about people’s extreme left or right wing political comment of the day blazing on their status.

I’m not trying to be insensitive, because I too live in this social networking world. I simply want to remind people to appreciate what really matters. Your profile picture and status updates can wait. Life will continue to move while you tweet and if you don’t pay attention, you will miss it.

So I am making a conscious effort to get away from the computer screen and start calling home more often, take that break from work and get lunch with a friend or go home and play video games with my roommate at my apartment. I know if I don’t, I might regret my life negligence when it is too late.