Imagine Little Orphan Annie singing, “It’s the hard knock life,” except with different words:
“It’s the cell phone life for us.
It’s the cell phone life for us.
‘Stead of newspapers,
We get tweets.
‘Stead of hugs,
We get emojis.
It’s the cell phone life for us.”
After putting up a valiant level of resistance, I must admit, turning to my cell phone for communication, reading, and research is becoming mainstream.
FOMO, (fear of missing out), leads to a quick check of all platforms I use – which leads to reacting to various messages. We feel compelled to throw our two cents in at every turn.
This is taking time. My time. My life.
I am seeing trends where reactions dominate, rather than thoughtful responses. Knee-jerk reactions seem to rule the day, overshadowing the rarity of creative and well-reasoned thinking.
Personal creativity is usually not born from a quick response or by simple emulation of others, and it can’t come by living in a swirl of see-this-now messages.
Creative moments come when we turn away from the noise. Letting our minds wander, free from distractions.
Dare we take the challenge of scheduling twenty minutes a day without technology?
If you are a parent of adult children, remember the days when you longed for just a few minutes of quiet to glue your thoughts together? Parents of today seem to be wishing for a few minutes to scroll through their phones, dropping reactions as they swipe.
Today, I am being a voice calling in the wilderness perhaps; but could we claim regular time away from the noise of the chatter to develop some creativity of our own?
In health –
Deidre
Right right right. I’m about to retire and I don’t want to get pulled into the never ending loop of noise. 20 minutes or more, get outside go for a walk, read or listen to music. Put down the phone.
Amen. Even those of us who might complain about others living on their phones – especially in restaurants – often turn to the phone without thinking. We are adding to our stress levels by feeling the need to be on top of and responding to every message instantly. Sigh. Next week’s post is about stress and sleep challenged women across America. Sobering.