More often than not, I find myself in a social setting with 90% of the group’s eyes glued to their phone. What was once an engaged and interactive conversation with expression, has now turned into a flimsy almost unaware silent treatment with one another. Technology is stripping us of time we didn’t know we were losing to devices that are so temporary. Devices can be thrown away in an instant, the moments we have with people cannot.
The more the iPhone gains all these mind-blowing features making practically everything accessible at the tip of our fingers, the more expectant and less interactive we become. We don’t just use our phone’s features to deliver, shop, and tweet for us, we use it also as a shield of protection from reality. It is where people spew the words they feel the need to just because they are behind a device that hides that raw and immediate contact. Technology is slowly driving us away from people and resolutions, and into deeper damage. We can admit it is easier to pull out our iPhone and pretend to be on the phone when passing the person you are dreading to see. We can also admit that instead of putting more energy into conversations with others during a meal, taking out our phone to answer those text messages seems to be more important. But it should never be this way, we should never avoid the reality of people and feed our fears more than our boldness and courage. Before iPhones, we were forced to resolve and make friends with people face to face, we can certainly do that again.
My solution? Train yourself. Train yourself to rid yourself of this easier and more comfortable bad habit you have with your phone. If you have to, turn it off when at lunch or dinner with friends, especially family. When you are with a group of people or at an event, teach yourself to enjoy these moments, people and conversation you are having. Slowly but surely, you will see how much more you gain by refraining from your electronic device, and leaning into conversations and people. I promise people have much more to offer you than a text message you are sending that may not even be read in the same hour. You’ll leave that dinner, event, group, etc, feeling so much more knowledgable and on the same page than if you resorted to your phone. You could be missing some words spoken to you that have the potential to alter your mindset and life forever. So, look up, don’t miss the now to a temporary piece of metal.
Xoxo,
Bri