O

ne of my New Year’s 
resolutions 
was 
to 

live a life consisting 

of less phone time, including 
checking it less often 
throughout the day. 
Current status: little 
to no progress. At this 
point, all I have done 
is forgotten to bring 
my phone a few times 
when I go to leave 
for class. When I do 
have it, I still check 
it 
directly 
before 

and after my classes, 
during meals and any 
other spare moment in between.

I am addicted to checking 

texts, 
emails, 
Facebook, 

Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, 
weather and every other type 
of 
notification 
or 
app 
that 

can 
immediately 
give 
me 

information on what is going on 
in the world. If my phone screen 
does not light up throughout 
the day, I assume something 
is amiss or I am out of the loop 
that I feel I need to be “in.” Even 
while writing this, I have been 
distracted several times by the 
little blue notification light on 
my phone screen even though I 
know it is an email that does not 
need a reply right now.

As I walk around campus, I 

see I am not the only one whose 
life is driven by the number of 
dings their phone emits every 
day. This lifestyle is what leads to 
publications and blog posts titled 
“I quit social media for a month,” 
as if the act is a life-changing 
moment that the world needs 
to know. But perhaps one of the 
subtlest effects of social media is 
our habits of turning to these sites 
when we have nothing else to do. 
Instead, we should be turning 
to the friends and environment 
around us for inspiration.

This is not an attempt to bash 

social media; there are many 
useful and enjoyable aspects of 
these platforms, and it would be 

hypocritical 
of 
me 

to call for a complete 
ban when I have no 
intention of deleting 
my own accounts any 
time soon. No, this is a 
call to begin resisting 
the urge to check your 
social accounts when 
you have nothing else 
to do. I want you allow 
yourself to be bored.

Traditionally, 
the 

possibility of boredom is seen 
as a negative. There are many 
studies 
suggesting 
boredom 

leads to a decrease in academic 
success; however, there are also 
studies that define several types of 
boredom that have a positive effect 
on individuals. According to one 
study, “indifferent boredom” is 
one such type that leaves someone 
in a calm state with generally 
positive feelings. We must put 
ourselves in these situations. 

When boredom is positive, 

research shows more creativity 
is expressed afterward. In a 
study at the University of Central 
Lancashire, participants involved 
in a boring activity were able 
to report a higher number of 
solutions to a creative problem 
afterward than those who did 
not complete the boring activity. 
Therefore, when we give in to 
our urges to turn to our phone 
when we are not being stimulated 
by something else, we are not 
allowing our later selves to 
generate positive creativity that is 
crucial to success.

There have been many times 

throughout the last few years in 
which adults who are a generation 
or two older have asked me if 
I could ever live without my 

phone. Mostly it has been in a 
joking manner, but I am realizing 
that for many people my age, the 
answer is a terrifying no. I do not 
believe this is solely because we 
are unable to socialize face to face, 
but research shows that social 
gratification can entice a higher 
rate of phone usage.

Many millennials will argue 

filling their bored moments with 
social media and screen time is not 
a waste of time, that they are using 
their resources to scan through 
breaking 
news 
or 
building 

friendships virtually. This may be 
true at times, but often those short 
news clips turn into viral videos 
starring cats and people making 
fools of themselves. This is clearly 
not the best society has to offer.

Knowing this, I propose we 

all have something better to do 
with our boredom. While there 
is no magical activity that will 
inspire greatness in everyone, 
everyone does have something 
else they could be engaged in 
that has higher benefits than 
social media.

I am not suggesting we all 

stop using our social media 
accounts right now and never 
turn back. I am suggesting we 
begin to accept our feelings of 
boredom and turn them toward 
an 
activity 
that 
promotes 

creativity within ourselves. It 
could be reading a book that 
has been on your list for years, 
completing a project you started 
a while ago or even taking a nap. 
Whatever it is, channel all your 
social media urges into this new 
task. A piece of advice: It helps 
if you leave your phone behind 
when you go engage in this 
activity. Trust me, Twitter will 
still be there when you finish.

Opinion
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
4A — Wednesday, January 25, 2017

REBECCA LERNER

Managing Editor

420 Maynard St. 

Ann Arbor, MI 48109

 tothedaily@michigandaily.com

Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890.

EMMA KINERY

Editor in Chief

ANNA POLUMBO-LEVY 

and REBECCA TARNOPOL 

Editorial Page Editors

Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily’s Editorial Board. 

All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.

Carolyn Ayaub
Megan Burns

Samantha Goldstein

Caitlin Heenan
Jeremy Kaplan

Anna Polumbo-Levy 

Max Lubell

Alexis Megdanoff
Madeline Nowicki

Jason Rowland

Ali Safawi

Kevin Sweitzer

Rebecca Tarnopol

Ashley Tjhung

Stephanie Trierweiler

EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS

It’s OK to be bored

ALEXIS 

MEGDANOFF

ALEXIS MEGDANOFF | COLUMN

EMILY WOLFE | CONTACT EMILY AT ELWOLFE@UMICH.EDU

W

e all know a friend 
or two who grew 
up Catholic but no 

longer associates themselves with 
religion. “What a shame,” an older 
devout Catholic might think, “that 
young people just don’t 
understand life.” What 
we may not realize, 
though, is that this 
generational gap is an 
opportunity for us to 
become good debaters.

Millennials 
have 

been 
labeled 
as 

“the least religious 
generation” 
in 

history. It’s true — 
young 
people 
are 

leaving the church. In fact, 
according 
to 
a 
longitudinal 

research study conducted by 
Jean 
Twenge, 
a 
psychology 

professor at San Diego State 
University, church attendance of 
high-school seniors decreased by 
half from 2000 to 2013, and three 
times as many college students 
don’t 
affiliate 
themselves 

with religion compared to the 
previous generation. What does 
that mean for us?

This brings me back to a 

conversation from last summer I 
had with my uncle, who is a priest. 
“I hope you find meaning in little 
things in life through connection 
with God,” he said in reference 
to a tree. “You’ll find ways to 
do that as you grow older.” The 
trouble with this line of thought 
is that people tend to assume that 
millennials lack empathy and fail 
to seek meaning in life — if I don’t 
pray before dinner, do I fail to 
express gratitude?

Twenge finds that millennials’ 

decline in religious involvement 
is not age-dependent. Instead, 
she suggests that it may be due 
to a cultural rise of individualism 
of our modern generation. In 
an individualistic society, there 
is less desire to conform and a 
greater attempt to maintain sense 
of self. But we fail to recognize 
this fact in practice.

From 
conversations 
with 

friends, I find that many students 
avoid talking about their non-

religiousness in their Catholic 
homes. 
Maybe 
their 
devout 

Catholic grandparents wouldn’t 
understand; they don’t know 
how to bring it up or they just 
don’t care. But the main reason 

appears 
to 
reside 

in our tendency to 
circumvent conflict. A 
friend once remarked, 
“My dad told me that 
two things I should 
avoid talking about 
with 
people 
are 

politics and religion.”

I personally have 

experienced 
this 

ambivalence myself. I 
grew up in a Catholic 

household, but my relationship 
with Catholicism grew tenuous 
over the years, especially when I 
first took biology in college. The 
very first day, as the professor 
explained the fundamentals of 
evolution, he stated, “There is no 
such thing as God.”

The 
students’ 
reactions 

were divided. Some people 
reacted adversely, while some 
others, like me, were intrigued 
by his bluntness.

Throughout 
the 
course, 
I 

became engrossed in biology and 
understanding the universe as a 
scientist, a passion that may be 
looked down upon by some devout 
Catholics. As Dr. Kalanithi writes, 
“I, like most scientific types, came 
to believe in the possibility of a 
material conception of reality.” 
However, by viewing life in the 
Darwinian sense that life has no 
higher purpose, I grew up torn 
between the scientific mind and 
desire to foster love; between 
respect for my family’s beliefs and 
having my own voice.

As I lived my conflict, I 

began to initiate conversations 
with my own family. I told my 
parents the things I learned 
about evolution, while they 
reminded 
me 
about 
the 

importance 
of 
fundamental 

human 
experiences 
such 

as hope, love, suffering and 
striving. By doing so, I realized 
that my preference to leave 
my church was not due to lack 

of purpose and meaning, but 
rather quite the opposite.

It was in these discussions 

with my parents that I began to 
recognize 
the 
complementary 

aspects of science and religion. 
I have come to realize that we 
need an anti-Darwinian society, 
as Richard Dawkins suggests. 
We need to learn evolution 
to understand why we exist, 
but we should not live by it. 
Understanding evolution can help 
us learn what to avoid in human 
life — how to uplift those who need 
it most and not cast them aside.

But, are religion and science 

even in conflict? According to Pew 
Research, the famous religion 
versus science debate may still be 
relevant. Six out of 10 adults express 
the view that scientific knowledge 
and religion are at odds with each 
other, especially on the topic of the 
creation of the universe.

Michael Evans, a research 

associate 
at 
Dartmouth 

College, provides an interesting 
perspective: 
“Public 
conflict 

involving religion and science 
reflects a fundamental conflict 
over good debate.” In making 
this comment, Evans urges us to 
talk to one another to not only 
advance our own positions, but 
more importantly, to listen to 
one another.

To 
better 
engage 
older 

generations 
and 
millennials, 

I find it that we need to begin 
these conversations at dinner, 
which is the place people avoid 
talking about religion the most. 
To remind us the importance of 
argument, Megyn Kelly writes 
in her book “Settle for More,” “I 
believe in the right to offend. To 
insult. Even to horrify. It’s not 
that we’re supposed to enjoy it, 
it’s that we’re supposed to allow 
it and then respond in a more 
persuasive voice.”

Avoiding 
conflict 
is 

counterproductive 
to 
our 

education. 
Let’s 
become 

better debaters, starting at the 
dinner table.

GINA CHOE | COLUMN

Resolving science and religion

GINA CHOE

Tribute to Granny: An American Muslim

MICHIGAN IN COLOR

W

e sat in her hospital 
room, just my granny 
and me, as she told 

me about her solar technology 
patent. The topic transported 
her mind from her blue gown 
lit by fluorescent lighting to her 
classroom at Virginia Tech. A 
well-prepared lecture evolved 
out of her weak speech as my 
visitor’s chair turned into a desk. 
Like a song from her childhood, 
she rhythmically told me about 
sputtering techniques and thin 
film solar converters. Upon 
forgetting just one colleague’s 
name, she looked at me and 
laughed at her “old mind.” On 
Jan. 8, 2017, my brilliant granny 
passed away after a lifetime of 
teaching. Her greatest lesson 
to me will be how to be an 
outstanding 
citizen 
and 
an 

amazing Muslim.

Lubna Razia Ijaz was born 

in 1936 in Lahore, Pakistan. By 
the time she began studying 
at 
Government 
College 
in 

Lahore, she had already skipped 
multiple grades. I remember 
her telling me stories of being 
one of the few girls in her class. 
Once, a male classmate asked 
her why she didn’t wear the 
Islamic headscarf, to which she 
responded, “Are you a girl? Why 
do you care?” That classmate 
would go on to marry my granny 
and become my grandfather.

The two lovebirds moved to 

Florida in 1960 to pursue higher 
education. I cannot begin to 
imagine the possible instances 
of prejudice they must have 
faced coming into America’s 
civil rights era as people of color. 
Perhaps this is because she never 
told her grandchildren stories 
of prejudice. She only depicted 
the America that welcomed 
her with grace and respect. 
Her hallmark story from the 
Florida days is how she and my 
grandfather presented a Quran 
to the president of Florida State 
University, Gordon Blackwell.

In 1965 the two moved to 

Virginia. But it wasn’t just 
Virginia — it was Blacksburg, 
Virginia, a town neighbored 
by 
Christiansburg 
and 

Lynchburg. Take a second to 
imagine the mindsets of my 
grandparents’ 
townspeople. 

Their 
presence 
was 
so 

revolutionary 
that 
a 
local 

newspaper photographed my 
grandparents with the title, 
“These are Moslems.”

However, rather than being 

discouraged by the apparent 
obstacles to inclusion, they 
were excited to be involved in 
the community and the culture. 
Coming from the villages of the 
Punjab, my grandparents had a 
deep love of the land, which was 
a central part of the Virginian 
lifestyle. As a result, every visit 
to Virginia is filled with fingers 
pointing from the car windows 
at the acres and acres of land my 
grandparents developed.

While she was cultivating 

both her family and the Virginian 
landscape, my granny pursued 
her Ph.D. in solar physics and 
education from Virginia Tech. It 
makes me so optimistic to know 
that she earned her doctoral 
degree at a time when less than 
5 percent of all Ph.D.s in physics 
were awarded to women. She 
fervently believed in the Islamic 
principles 
of 
education 
for 

everyone, not just males, and 
led by example in the American 
education scene.

Her 
dedication 
to 
her 

faith was evident when she 
took office as president of 
the women’s auxiliary of the 
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community 
USA from 1969 to 1971. The 
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community 
is 
America’s 
oldest 
Muslim 

community, established in 1920. 
Three of the first 313 adherents 
to the Ahmadiyyat were my 
granny’s 
father, 
grandfather 

and 
great-grandfather. 
They 

were some of the first members 
of 
a 
revolutionary 
social 

movement, founded by Mirza 
Ghulam 
Ahmad 
of 
Qadian, 

India, 
championing 
“Love 

for all, hatred for none.” It’s 
inspiring that she took her 
deeply rooted spirituality and 
put it to practical use in order 
to help empower women in the 
early ’70s.

In addition to her work 

with the women’s auxiliary, 
she was constantly looking for 
opportunities to develop the 
American Muslim community. 
In 
1983, 
my 
grandparents 

sought to build a mosque for 
Muslims in the surrounding 
states. An newspaper titled 
“Islam in Virginia” says the 
mosque was being established 
in “the heart of the ‘Bible 
belt,’ 
” 
underscoring 
the 

adversity of its construction. 
Due to financial issues the 
mosque project was never fully 
completed, but her disregard 
for possible cultural roadblocks 
inspires me to this day.

Practicing Islam was never 

an inhibitor to her acceptance 
into society. In today’s political 
rhetoric, Muslims are often 
made out to seem incompatible 
to the American way of life. 
During the second presidential 
debate 
in 
October 
2016, 

President Trump called for an 
extreme vetting of Muslims. 
The goal of this kind of rhetoric 
is to say Muslims and Americans 
don’t, can’t and won’t mix. But 
my granny is clear evidence 
that the only thing “extreme” 
is the extreme lack of conflict 
between being Muslim and 
being American.

For example, I would often 

imagine what it was like being in 
my granny’s classroom. What was 
it like learning from her with her 
South Asian accent and Pakistani 
saris? Apparently, it was great! 
In 1976, Lubna Ijaz was awarded 
a Woman of the Year award 
in education by Montgomery 
County, Va. Her breakthrough 
teaching 
styles 
emphasized 

the 
practical 
applications 
of 

physics and reduced the stress 
on examinations for students. 
My uncle often tells me that she 
would pass out physics exams 
with the answers attached, tell 
her students her assessment was 
of concepts, not equations. In 
1996 she established a Virginia 
Tech scholarship in her name to 
annually award a student who 
“has shown great commitment 
to the science of physics.”

It 
was 
no 
surprise 
that 

students loved socializing with 
my granny. One photograph 
shows 
my 
granny, 
wearing 

traditional 
shalwar 
kameez, 

standing in the family apple 
orchard surrounded by her 
students, all adorned in high-
waisted bell-bottoms.

I love that photograph. It 

shows me that cultures and 
religions are not obstacles to 
unity. Cultural differences and 
religious diversity are necessary 
for a society to progress and 
prosper. That single photograph 
shows me that being an American 
Muslim is not an oxymoron, 
but a beautiful indicator of 
society moving towards a bright 
future. More than anything, that 
photograph shows me that my 
granny was an American Muslim 
woman, unafraid of any obstacles 
to unity, ready to break glass 
ceilings and win over the hearts 
of her fellow Virginians.

IBRAHIM IJAZ

CONTRIBUTE TO THE CONVERSATION

Readers are encouraged to submit letters to the editor and op-eds. 
Letters should be fewer than 300 words while op-eds should be 550 
to 850 words. Send the writer’s full name and University affiliation to 

tothedaily@michigandaily.com.

Gina Choe can be reached at 

ginachoe@umich.edu.

Ibrahim Ijaz can be reached at 

iijaz@umich.edu

Alexis Megdanoff can be reached at 

amegdano@umich.edu.

