Let me ask you something. When you ask someone how they are, do you really mean it, or are you just waiting for them to get on with their answer? Do you just ask because it's what you're "supposed to do" in a polite conversation? Just think about this for a minute, and ask yourself these questions honestly.
As a society, we are too consumed with ourselves. We want people to know how we're doing, how our lives are going, and how we've had such amazing glow ups. Thanks in part to Instagram, and sometimes Facebook, we become caught up in how our image looks. Will people notice us by liking our posts? I think we all secretly hope our ex-boyfriends and best friends can see how much better we are without them. Tell me I'm wrong.
The world is so much bigger than a little screen. It's so much bigger than your 620+ Instagram followers or 1,000 Facebook friends. While I can agree that social media helps us to stay connected with the world, it sucks us into a self-consuming bubble. We care less about making real connections and friendships with people, and more about how many people told us how pretty we are in our Instagram comments.
"Look around bro, look at life", raps Lil Yachty at the beginning of the song iSpy. He tells Kyle, the other rapper on the track this very sentiment after Kyle complains about how people are talking badly about him.
In the same way, I would encourage you to get off the phone, look around, and look at life. So much passes us by because we're consumed in our phones and this virtual world, which in the grand scheme of things means nothing. God has provided such a beautiful place for us, and we need to enjoy it because we are slowly destroying it. Before we know it, the beautiful nature He has created for us will be completely gone, and we will wish we had just paid attention for a little longer.
We have the privilege of interacting in an environment with such unique people. Whether it be college, your workplace, or whatever other environments you find yourself in, cool, awesome people are everywhere. Even if you're a little awkward like I am, I encourage you to talk to people. Smile at strangers, and wave to those you know.
Learn the art of conversation, and truly sit down and learn about people. You'd be surprised that not everyone is outgoing as you think. When you do that and leave behind being consumed with yourself and what others think of you, the world becomes much bigger, much freer, and much more exciting.
