There is a world around us. There are people around us. There is also a smartphone in our hands, through which we look at the world and communicate with people.
We have ears and eyes to hear and see what is going around us, and we also have a smartphone, through which we see and hear the world.
In the age of smartphones, we live in a virtual world. We see the people and the world only through the smartphone, on the screen, as if there are no real people and no world.
Once we saw people, trees, animals, birds and buildings. Now we see them only on the small screen. Where has the real world disappeared?
People, in this age of the smartphone, are mostly virtual people, not real people.
Look around you, and you will see everyone, with his or her eyes glued on the screen while walking in the street, sitting in a restaurant, traveling by bus or train or while resting in bed. They do not see the world. They just see the screen.
The funny thing is that people feel the need to report what they are doing and where they are every minute of the day. Are they prisoners? Why do they have this need? Why is there lack of freedom and lack of privacy?
Do you, like most people, report everything you do, on your social networks?
“I am eating at so and so restaurant.”
“I am now watching a movie.”
“I am now eating ice cream.”
“I am now buying a sweater.”
“I am now drinking a cup of coffee at…”
“I am now at the gym.”
Is this truly important information? Will anyone remember it in a few minutes from now?
Is it important what other people are thinking, saying or writing about you? Are you a slave of their words?
Are you a weak and dependent person that constantly needs the approval of others?
Do you want to read what others are saying? That is okay, read, but stay emotionally detached.
Do not Take Everything too Personally
If you take everything too personally, you let others hurt you and play with your feelings, and you lose your inner strength and inner peace. On the other hand, if you stay calm and display strength and discipline, people will respect you more.
Look at the Real World
Look around you, at the world, the trees, flowers, birds, sky, clouds, buildings and people. They are around you, in real size, not just as virtual objects on the small screen.
Put your smartphone aside for a little while each day, to enjoy the real world and to communicate with real people. I once heard an expert on TV talking about how people are losing their communication skills because of the smartphone. They do not know how to deal with real people in the real world.
People are losing their ability to concentrate, due to the information overload and inability to focus on one thing. There are so many messages to read and to respond. There are so many photos to look at or to upload to their social networks. There are so many comments and ‘likes’ to make. This overload, of not so important information, spoils the ability to focus.
People are also losing their ability to be aware of what is going around them and the ability to listen and be aware of their inner self. They are turning into robots. Is this what you want to be?
The smartphone is a great tool. Everyone uses it, and I too, enjoy using it. However, do not let it control your life. The world and the people are around you are not in your smartphone. They are around you.
You should be the one controlling your life, not your smart phone. Some self-discipline would be very helpful and useful.
Live in the real world too, not just in the virtual world of your smartphone. It is more real. The people living in the real world, and who are aware of it, have more control of their lives, than people, who live in the virtual world of their smartphones.
Do not misunderstand me. I am not against using a smartphone. It is a great, wonderful and useful tool, making life much easier. In a small instrument, you carry with you a phone, camera, video player, computer, games, books and GPS. All I am saying is that you also need to live in the world around you, deal with it, and communicate with it directly.
Using your smartphone is one thing, but to let it enslave you and take all your time is another thing.
Take your eyes away from the screen for a few minute each day, and explore the world around you. Focus for a little while on the real world, enjoy it, and try to make it a better world.
