Is it time for a revolution? I think so.
It’s not a revolt against a political ideology or a repressive regime—not this time. The battle is against the most formidable of foes, the most difficult to reason with or conquer. This time, the fight may be with ourselves.
These days many people have lost control of their lives—their passions and dreams have been stolen, or rather, given freely away and replaced with the run-away addiction of our age: technology. And it’s time to grab the reins.
I don’t know of a single person who has lived out their destiny while staring down at a cell phone. Yet here we are, quickly turning into a society of drones.
This is not to say that EVERYONE falls into this “Walking Dead” category, but let’s face it, most do. They don’t meet your eyes as you pass on the sidewalk, they grunt in answer to your questions, they pull a chiming device from their pocket in mid-conversation… they live in a state of constant divided attention—only ever PARTIALLY AWARE.
And this is the worst part: Everyone agrees that it’s happening and there’s still no change. Constant mind-numbing cell phone use has been proven toxic at every age by countless studies, yet no one is doing anything about it (or not enough). Much of the world has simply accepted this destructive reality as the “new normal” (I dislike this phrase immensely).
When did humanity loose its balls, anyway? And was it gradual? Or was the castration so swift and painless that no one noticed? Nobody seems to be sure. But in a very short time, we know the wheels came off completely. And most of us did nothing more than stand by and allow it to happen.
Ok, enough doom and gloom. What’s the answer?
The path to change is not collective; it’s an individual decision. For anyone bound by the constraints of tech-addiction, it’s time to break free. Right now.
Live your life. Do not scroll through social media for hours. Allow yourself to experience boredom (as it is the fertile soil of imagination). Ponder questions without Googling immediate answers. Don’t rely on other people’s social media comments and connections to warm you. And practice MEANINGFUL interaction with friends AND strangers.
Turn off. Look up. Make a difference. Find joy.