Look Up
As I was people watching in the mall the other day, I noticed most times in passing - no one would look up for eye contact…eyes were on the floor. Where are the smiles? I was baffled. I was in public and yet there was none present. My theory is that folks are so devoted to gadgets that they miss authentic life as it is happening. It is awkward to unplug and be retrospect, isn’t it? A sad day is being in a waiting room that everyone’s face is down in a phone rather than speaking to one another. We are not truly BE-ing. The only way we catch names anymore is on Starbucks beverages. That is if we are listening, observing, or if we care.
All this available connect we have to everything else is causing disconnect in the human touch. Families are not in unity. We are not having conversations. There is less real interaction. What is happening? Escape? Escape from the real world into self. I feel myself slipping into this dross when I choose to ignore passers by or think of others as a bother. What happened to brotherhood? Is it really getting to Generation Selfie?
Its not merely young people who are absorbed into self - it is all ages. Our older adults are isolated from their families. Our middle agers are actively producing only those filtered moments of life to display on their favorite social media to friends they never speak to. And our blessed teens, the leaders of the 2020’s are wrapped in a world of a text, a brief snap chat, and a selfie an hour. All these electronic endeavors lack reality as the teacher. I am talking about our own reality.
I am grateful for the age of communication's benefits, but I am altogether buoyed by real conversations multiple times over. That’s where I really learn. Face to face time with people. I am fortunate because thats what I do for a living. However, the reoccurring theme I hear with my counseling clients is loneliness. Loneliness and isolation are occurring in a time where we can send a line to anyone, anywhere. Our children need us parents to put the cell phones down! Marriages need time together that does not involve a picture to prove special moments.
The days of our lives are utterly missed by the devices we are enraptured with. Relish the moments. We live on the high memories of life, and yes photos help us to remember. I too, am a photo junkie, I admit. But lately, I have felt the urge to do less on the social media and more engaging in life.
I am going to look fully at the next sunrise. I will watch the seasons, and behold the beauty of all children. And I am going to keep on smiling at my fellow man and never drink my coffee without a real conversation - face to face. What’s more, I am going to keep myself company. Think. That’s right, I am going to take time to think everyday. I will aim to clear my head and make room for my own imagination. I will welcome beautiful thoughts. I can also read, write, sing, and pray. Being alone with yourself is not the end of the world. This is the time when we plug into the real source of God rather than all the available distractions so that our connections with others are meaningful and full of hope.
Think, look into the souls of people, hug, shake hands firmly, remember names, wave at babies, listen after you ask how people are doing, walk the dog without headphones, really
take time to share your life in real time…be creative! Yes, without Pintrest! Instead of going the way of selfie, I challenge us all to lift our eyes and hearts to others. Onward and upward!
All this available connect we have to everything else is causing disconnect in the human touch. Families are not in unity. We are not having conversations. There is less real interaction. What is happening? Escape? Escape from the real world into self. I feel myself slipping into this dross when I choose to ignore passers by or think of others as a bother. What happened to brotherhood? Is it really getting to Generation Selfie?
Its not merely young people who are absorbed into self - it is all ages. Our older adults are isolated from their families. Our middle agers are actively producing only those filtered moments of life to display on their favorite social media to friends they never speak to. And our blessed teens, the leaders of the 2020’s are wrapped in a world of a text, a brief snap chat, and a selfie an hour. All these electronic endeavors lack reality as the teacher. I am talking about our own reality.
I am grateful for the age of communication's benefits, but I am altogether buoyed by real conversations multiple times over. That’s where I really learn. Face to face time with people. I am fortunate because thats what I do for a living. However, the reoccurring theme I hear with my counseling clients is loneliness. Loneliness and isolation are occurring in a time where we can send a line to anyone, anywhere. Our children need us parents to put the cell phones down! Marriages need time together that does not involve a picture to prove special moments.
The days of our lives are utterly missed by the devices we are enraptured with. Relish the moments. We live on the high memories of life, and yes photos help us to remember. I too, am a photo junkie, I admit. But lately, I have felt the urge to do less on the social media and more engaging in life.
I am going to look fully at the next sunrise. I will watch the seasons, and behold the beauty of all children. And I am going to keep on smiling at my fellow man and never drink my coffee without a real conversation - face to face. What’s more, I am going to keep myself company. Think. That’s right, I am going to take time to think everyday. I will aim to clear my head and make room for my own imagination. I will welcome beautiful thoughts. I can also read, write, sing, and pray. Being alone with yourself is not the end of the world. This is the time when we plug into the real source of God rather than all the available distractions so that our connections with others are meaningful and full of hope.
Think, look into the souls of people, hug, shake hands firmly, remember names, wave at babies, listen after you ask how people are doing, walk the dog without headphones, really
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