An Unbearable Loss

A student’s quest to complete the grieving process…over the loss of WiFi connectivity

An+Unbearable+Loss

Adriana Balvaneda, Features Co-Editor

When a devastating loss occurs, it is not an easy thing to cope with and not everyone handles the traumatizing event the same way. This list of coping steps is not a prescription, but simply meant to provide support and educate the public because we know that grief cannot be wrapped up in a cute little bundle. If you, or someone you love, is currently grieving the loss of our school’s wifi password, here’s what to expect.

STAGE 1 DENIAL:
The most time consuming of all stages. You may begin by thinking that the password hasn’t changed. If you stand just a little closer to the wifi signal, you’ll  get a better connection, but that’s pointless. Then, you may spend all of your focus, all your attention, on guessing the password right. You tell yourself, “I am smart. I can totally hack the school’s system by guessing one word with symbols.” But sadly that never works.

STAGE 2 ANGER:
This is when things get ugly and you become angry at the “man.” How dare they change the password? Why would they do such a cruel thing? Why do they want me to be isolated without my wifi? This is where all your classmates become the perfect companions, venting together for the rest of the day.

STAGE 3 BARGAINING:
This is when you find yourself sitting in class alone bargaining with the powers that be, for the password. You may beg or sweet talk your teachers. “If you just give me the password I will pay attention in class and I will do my homework more often,” you promise. You even go as far as writing a letter to the Tech department but that is quickly thrown into the trash. You may even plead silently to higher powers that if given access to the Internet again you will do anything.

STAGE 4 DEPRESSION:
This is the most critical stage in coping with the loss of the school’s WiFi access. Sure we still have Chromebooks with access to the internet, but nothing beats sneaking a glance at your phone’s Facebook app during passing periods. At first we try to play it cool, but we know that we don’t have unlimited data. Maybe it’s for the best, or so the we try to convince ourselves. But we all know either way we are not going to focus more in school. So we revert to the old tricks and just wander inside our heads, like in the good old days. Which unsurprisingly  reminds you of how weird you are and that doing so on a daily basis leads to an existential crisis at only 17.

STAGE 5 (THE FINAL STAGE) ACCEPTANCE:
This is by far the most alluring and calming moment after experiencing severe withdrawal from the internet. At this stage you feel defeat but at the same time you keeping going on because at the end of the day, you still have a little trickle of hope seeping into your heart that one day you will find the password. But for today, you go on and face the brave world that is high school–disconnected.