“Tweet, tweet, ring, ding,
buzzzzzzzz… buzzzzz…” The symphony
of Smartphones begins. Today is
another day where we’re constantly barraged with information, constant
connection, and opportunity. If
you don’t have a smartphone you’re behind the times. I remember when I first got my sleek iPhone I kept saying,
“How did I ever live without this?”
They have everything you could ever want: your camera, music library,
gps, phone, alarm clock, calendar, reminders, email… anything you can think
of. Amazing, right?! Of course it is! We are living in an age where tasks get
done at lighting speed. An age
where communication is best received over email, phone calls are vanishing, and
face to face interactions are rare.
There’s too much to do! Thankfully
our smartphones help us get it all done.
And I’m absolutely thankful
for my smartphone. But I also find
myself missing out on life sometimes.
By being connected to everything I’m actually not connecting to anything. Just the other day I was having lunch
with a teacher I hadn’t seen in a couple months and halfway through I realized
we were both checking our phone with every little buzz and jungle.
“Tell me about your
students!?” I ask. Buzz…. My eyes quickly dart to the screen
without hesitation.
“They’re great…. Project…
learning a lot,” I hear her reply.
“Uh huh, that’s
great!” I respond. Send! “What’s the project about?” …Then comes the realization that I
wasn’t listening at all. How could
I? How can anyone be in two places
at once? It’s impossible. But
wait, that person who texted needs a response! If I don’t send that email right away the opportunity may
pass! Well, yeah, but I have to
take this call! I get it, I
really do. And that’s what’s so
difficult, balancing responsibilities while staying present in the moment. So how do we do it?
First, by being aware. The greatest gift you can give anyone
is your presence… period. And
don’t they deserve it? Well, you
do too. You see when we’re
constantly worried about the future, or answering so and so immediately, we’re
never truly living in the present moment.
Sure, we’re “focused” on the person before us, but our mind is somewhere
else. Our mind is focused on the
million things we have to accomplish, the people who are waiting to hear from
us, the pins on pinterest; meanwhile, life is passing before our eyes, or
before our smartphones.
This summer when I was in
Cape Cod my friends and I decided to have ONE day where we hid our phones and
all the clocks. We made a vow that
we would disconnect from the world… a smartphone fast. What’s so hard about that?! The day started and we had no
idea what time is was… the day ended and still we had no idea what time it
was. The only thing we did know is
that we had been absolutely present in every given moment. Our thoughts seemed to live in
peace. We connected to each other
in ways we hadn’t before. We were
forced to have real human interactions.
In the end, we were more than grateful that we buried our
smartphones.
Now, that was on a Sunday,
and when Monday rolled around we started the rat race again. You can’t bury your smartphone and
become invisible to the world around you.
But can we have a better sense of awareness? Can we give the gift of our presence to someone? By thinking, “The little buzz, phone
call, and tweet can wait,” you’re actually saying, “You are important to
me!” Nothing is more important
than the person before you or the life around you. Take it in and you’ll find yourself more alive than ever…
present to receive life’s presents.
---
Whenever you meet anyone, no matter how briefly, do
you acknowledge their being by giving them your full attention? Or do you
reduce them to a means to an end, a mere function or role? A moment of
attention is enough. You are no longer acting out a script, you become
real."
-Eckhart Tolle
