I have a question for you… How do you feel when you see people you know become successful? Are you genuinely happy for them or deep down privately, do you hold a smidgen of ‘I wish I had such success?’
Social media places in our awareness every day those who rise up and make lots of noise. Inadvertently it can create (if one is not careful) a ‘comparing and contrasting’ response from observers. This is a response, that before technology arrived, happened much less. So, my question is: Is this heightened comparison response creating or at least contributing to the high rates of anxiety in the under 30’s generation of our day?
This concerns me as to be truly unique and explore individuality, we all need to stand in our own shoes and stop looking at others. We do not have to be competitive or aggressive to succeed, we just have to be ourselves. The online world is so full of content, that in my opinion, we all need to step away for periods of time to truly find out who we are as individuals and, thus reduce outside influences coming into our awareness.
The other day, in my local village, I took out some time to sip a coffee and observe. Now that it is tourist season, my local village is getting full of visitors, all taking a break from their busy lives to take a deep breath and see something that stimulates their senses. I noticed though, how many of the under 30’s generation versus the over 40’s generation were glued to their smartphones. I felt an urge to take away their phone to get them to stop, and soak in their surroundings! A guy I observed was so busy looking into his phone, he walked into a grocery cart containment area and suddenly realized there were bars around him. Thus he had to turn around and retrace his steps to enter the grocery store!!! Is this where we are all arriving to? We cannot do without technology even when we are walking and in the throws of undertaking practical tasks?
So, while you may smile and nod your head of possibly seeing similar in your locality, think about your own uniqueness and what you stand for. Contemplate on this and then ask: if I took away technology, how would I feel? What would I give to the world and those I care about as a result? In other words, I think this practice of reducing technology usage would be an opportunity to get to know yourself.
