We all know what goes down while sitting awkwardly in a waiting room. I would be lying if I said I wasn't guilty of resorting to my phone in uncomfortable situations. However, while sitting in the waiting room of the doctor's office the other day, I looked up from my phone to quickly become aware of the sad scene that surrounded me. The room felt empty and lifeless because everyone was glued to their phones- sitting in silence with no acknowledgment of those around them. However, I realized that I was also part of the problem. We often don't realize how big of a role technology plays in our lives because it is second nature to us to pull out our phones and scroll through social media.
Technology has altered our social skills more than I can even stand to comprehend. Before technology, sparking up a conversation with strangers was the norm. Elevator rides weren't uncomfortable, sitting in a waiting room was a chance to learn about others, people didn't treat strangers like they were invisible. I would do anything to have been a part of the story-telling generation, the generation my grandparents were a part of.
Do you ever notice how our elders always have fascinating stories derived from the most ordinary situations? It's because they knew how to live fully and entirely, to embrace the beings that they encountered throughout their life. We weren't all put on this planet together to avoid confrontations. They learned so much about people that you would never know from sitting across from them in silence. If we took the initiative to speak with strangers, we'd realize that some people have pretty incredible, unique stories that we've been missing out on... ones that we could benefit from.
We've lost the concept of living in the moment. Instead of enjoying the pure and genuine moment, like a concert, we focus so much on getting the perfect recording of it, documenting it just to go back and live through the artificial version of it later. We waste away short and beautiful moments because of the pressure to get the perfect photo op or show the world exactly what we're doing and when we're doing it. I'm sure you've all heard the saying "If you didn't take a picture, did it really even happen?" I'd enjoy, much more, hearing about the experience that was lived to its fullest potential than just seeing it on your Snapchat story.
We can't even walk in straight lines. We run into people from staring at our phones like zombies. We aren't aware of our surroundings. We use our phones as crutches for silence or what we consider awkward situations. We hide behind our electronics. We say more behind a screen than we would ever say in person. We have a problem. Let's bring back story-telling. Let's enjoy life. Let's live. Are we robots or the human race?
