PERSONAL ESSAY

In the beginning of the book, Augé talks about our perception of time, as well as how we use it and the way we dispose of it. He states that, “Time today is no longer a principle of intelligibility” (20). I found this interesting because you can see this in almost everyone today. So many people waste more time on things like social media and our phones than interacting with the people and places around them. We have lost so much time to our phones that we could be spending with loved ones or connecting with those around us. Our phones transport us to an entirely new world where we no longer have to deal with what is around us. I find that most people are now incapable of being bored or just sitting doing nothing for an extended period of time. I think there are so many other ways we can use our time intelligently than sitting on our phones. I hope that through the COVID-19 quarantine people can learn to use their time better and reach out to those around them.

We usually spend so much of our day running around from place to place, from work to school to home. A lot of the in between is spent in or around non-places. These places usually go completely unnoticed. We do not appreciate the spaces around us as we pass by. We do not even glance up from our phones as we walk on our way to class or to work. With our world coming to a halt, we are not interacting with a lot of these places. Most people probably do not even think about them because they have no connection to them. We do not think twice about walking through a parking garage or an airport. However, even just a little change can go a long way in transforming these places to make sure people remember them.

The garage is not complete yet, like most other non-places. Those who enter the garage feel nothing towards the space they are in. One does not think about who is around them as they pass by or through. With even the slightest change, I think we can alter the effect the parking garage has on its users. We are able to create a space that people can feel connected with. We can create a space where people can use their time intelligently. To do this, even the smallest of changes can make a big difference in people’s interaction with the parking garage. Just adding music to certain areas of the garage could drastically change the feel of the space. We can transform the garage to be a place where people can connect to the environment and the people around them through games, nature, and visuals. With the help of designers, the Union South parking garage and many others could be transformed into destinations that we can use our time wisely in rather than waste time.