Recently I took a stroll on the boardwalk. I decided to pay attention to how many people had headphones, blue teeth, or ear buds in, and I was unsurprised to see it was a large amount. People were talking into phones, blasting music, and surfing the net despite the beautiful sunshine, the calling of the waves, and the rippling of the wind. They were even doing these things if they were with another human being!
People are tuning out right and left. It is sad.
I thought about it, and I wondered at the cause. Are we so overwhelmed with a plethora of information that we can't take in just our own senses anymore? Are we so unused to "just being" we can't conceive of not being hooked in?
Admit it, how many of you panic if you forget your cell phone when you run to the store?
I heard one friend say of her sister, "She can't be alone, she gets into the car and instantly has to call someone." Is this it? Are we unable to just be with ourselves anymore? Do we not know how to be friends with our "self"? Do we avoid being alone by being "connected"?
The problem is the act of constantly connecting has lead us to be disconnected. Remember the walkers who were surfing while walking with someone else? How are they connecting with the person beside them? How were they really appreciating the beautiful day?
Here is today's challenge: for the next few days pay attention to how many times you connect and why you are doing it. See if you are avoiding anything/anyone by plugging in. The thing you may plug into can vary: TV, video games, the web, your phone, your email, your blog (*grin*), an ipod, or any such diversionary device. Ask yourself if you are learning to be yourself, to be with others, or to just be in the world by your connection.
Maybe we need to disconnect to reconnect.
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