If someone were to ask me about what the posture of individuals around the world would look like 50 years from now, I would say we'd all be down about three inches in height. This may seem like a random statement to start off with, but I don't think this is too far from the truth, seeing how much we all hunch over our iPhones and computers, texting and typing away (I know I am being a little hypocritical, as I am sitting over a computer typing this article).
We live in a world that is so controlled by technology and media that it is so easy to lose track of what is really happening around you in real time. We get so sucked into Instagram and Facebook, seeing what all our friends are doing with their summers and what vacations they're going on, that we quickly lose sight of what we are doing with our lives. As technology keeps growing, us humans keep going further and further down the rabbit hole of fabricated lives that we obsess over. This just causes us to forget to take in everything that's happening right in front of us.
I can guarantee that if you were to put your phone away and look around you as you stand in line for your signature Starbucks drink tomorrow morning, you would realize just how many people have their heads buried deep inside their virtual realities of their cell phones. People in this day and age are so uncomfortable with the thought of having a meaningful conversation because we don't do it enough. We are so used to making "connections" solely through social media or texting that we don't actually remember how to make a real human interaction. And this is a very depressing fact to me.
I'm not saying that I am not someone who constantly looks at my phone scrolling through Instagrams and liking photos on Facebook, or furiously texting away (just ask my mother...), but I have realized how many other people in the world do it too, and it's something we all need to work on. By not creating human interactions with people around you in everyday settings, like in Starbucks every morning, we are constantly losing opportunities to learn about someone's story that may be extremely inspiring to you. Everyone in this world has their own unique life that may be worth learning about, so make that first move and just say hi to someone new next time you're just standing in line, rather than staring at your phone and paying attention to unimportant things in life.
Everyone in this world is important, so go make someone feel like they are appreciated, even if it's just saying a small but sincere "thank you." Connections and interactions are what us humans were made to do, so let's not lose sight of that.
