While browsing my Pinterest dashboard earlier this week, I came across a quote by Jim Elliot: “Wherever you are, be all there." Elliot was a Christian missionary who worked with people in Ecuador and was sadly killed during one of his missions there. No matter how you choose to interpret his quote, I feel it can be strongly applied to the circumstances of anyone in this day and age – specifically within the vast field of technology.
There are so many good things about the advancements we’ve made up to this point of the 21st century. Take into consideration how incredibly easy it is to obtain information; no need to conduct multiple searches online, or slave over textbooks for hours. Just simply type a few words into the Google search bar and thousands upon thousands of results pertaining to your topic of interest are suddenly at your fingertips, beckoning for your attention. Along with this comes the wonderful ability to freely communicate with others – often just by the touch of one or two buttons. These examples may seem very commonplace and obvious, but they are important to acknowledge. Many of us reap the benefits of technology through the ability to stay connected. It’s nice to feel like you are a part of something – but when does this ability go too far? Is it possible to be too connected? What many of us may not see is that this possibility may already be a reality for us. We are so often plugged into our computers, phones, TVs, tablets, video games – you name it – that staying connected becomes second nature to us. It’s perpetual. These devices are a part of our everyday lives. They surround us constantly and often make it so that we are in fact not “all there."
It is imperative that we remember the benefits to unplugging. Whether we are scrolling through our Facebook news feeds or looking at our peers’ daily Instagram posts, we are subconsciously comparing ourselves to others. Sure, a little competition can be good - maybe this helps you to better yourself – but it can often leave you feeling empty and searching for things of little importance. There are benefits that come from taking a step back and unplugging from the technology that surrounds us. When you choose to pull your head out of your phone, you are given the opportunity to fully enjoy that one walk a day you get with your dog, or to notice that friend you pass on your morning walk to class. Little things occur each day that allow us to appreciate the season of life we find ourselves in. Unplugging gives us the chance to soak these experiences in before we are left with only memories. Choose to unplug at some point this week. Do yourself a favor and take in the experiences of this season in your life. Allow yourself to be left with memories – not past social media posts. Be all there.
