“Live in the moment,” they say. “Make every moment count.” It is easy to believe that we understand the truth behind this mantra, but we fail to both acknowledge it and apply it to our everyday lives. If you’re not following me, recall the last time you paid a visit to a Michael’s or Target store. It was not even October yet, and there was most likely already both Halloween and Christmas décor on display for purchase, in addition to that for New Years to celebrate 2018 which would not come for another three months.
Living in a fast-paced world constantly fueled by the high-speed digital age, we cannot help but base our decisions, purchases, and plans for the future. As a college student especially, nearly every decision I make with Florida State will go into effect at a later time, such as registering for classes four months before the next semester and figuring out where I am going to live nearly a year before I move in. We tend to forget that our world is ever-changing, specifically the microenvironments in which we live. I could change my major on a whim and my classes prepared for the following semester would be completely useless because I chose them so early, while I should have been focused on my major in the first place while doing so.
A 2015 study from Microsoft, according to Time magazine, used electroencephalograms to find that as human beings we now have a shorter attention span than goldfish. A goldfish can hold its attention for nine seconds, while we can hold ours for eight seconds, which went down from twelve since the year 2000. This is a direct result of our consumption of social media; it makes perfect sense if you think about it. We have fallen victim to the toxic effects of multi-stream media and waste no time at all scrolling through Instagram with the swift glide of our thumb, through Twitter with text posts no longer than 140 characters long, and Snapchats that last for ten seconds. Back in the day when Vine existed, we watched videos that spanned no longer than seven seconds. My point is that we are always looking at what is coming next in all settings imaginable, whether we are scrolling through our phone to seek new information and updates, or determining what we are doing the following year rather than focusing on the current one.
With our obsession with social media, we are constantly trying to capture the moment through Snapchats and pictures to view down the line while neglecting to enjoy the actual moments as they occur. I completely endorse this and would be a hypocrite if I said that I do not also partake, but I can recognize the importance of abandoning these habits in order to live a more fulfilling life.
Within reason, we also immediately think about the future once we get involved with someone romantically. Why? Because we do not want to waste our time. However, due to our excessive concern about the future, we find ourselves backing out of what could potentially be incredible, prosperous relationships due to the fear of commitment and not desiring the same things down the road. Like I stated previously, our environments are ever-changing and this includes our opinions and plans as well – that is why we should live in the moment and go from there.
I know, I know. It is so cliché of me to sound like a Hallmark card and say “get out there and live your life! Don’t take things so seriously! Worry about the present, the future has not happened yet!” But it could not all be truer. In disbelief that I am already almost halfway through my sophomore year of college, this subject especially hits close to home for me. Next time you’re with your friends or family, remember to take a step back from your phone and don’t worry about what “the next move” is. Take things a little slower – life might actually taste a little sweeter.