LOOKING DOWN

It seems everywhere I go people are glued to their smartphones, awareness has merged with technology and I'm beginning to wonder with social media, is it really bringing us together or alienating us from each other. ''Don't bother me I'm eating'' remember that? now it's ''don't bother me, I'm texting'' and how often have you tried to have an intelligent conversation with someone and they'll just nod while they're looking down on their smartphone, it always happens to me! It is for this very reason I don't own a smartphone, nor do I participate in social media and no, I'm not some grumpy old fashioned man that hates technology, I enjoy hearing my favorite music on the laptop and I am a blogger, but something just doesn't feel right about all this smartphone technology. Maybe it could be that smartphones are distracting us from our true selves, we're so caught up in how we are perceived by others, maybe we think that social media will give us a voice [seeking approval] we don't have in our everyday life, in either case, could it be that we can be something we are not, behind social media? Everything has two sides, good and bad, this also applies to smartphones and social media, but it just seems like a distraction to reality and that puts people in a looking down position rather than a looking within position. I was without internet for almost two weeks and those two weeks were phenomenal, everything in this house runs on internet including the television [NETFLIX] and there are four other people in the house, I witnessed some anxiety and even some withdrawals from the others and tempers really flared just after the first few days of being dis-connected from the grid, while I myself took full advantage of the downtime. Here's what I did, the past summer monsoon storms have taken a toll on both the front and back yards, I took the liberty of restoring and landscaping both, readying them for the winter grass and even building a fire pit in the back yard. I've also done some remodel projects in the kitchen and have painted the pool fence which was getting rusty. I worked out more often, went hiking more often, put more attention towards myself and did what makes ME feel good. Then there's the really fun stuff, on Halloween I handed out candy to the trick or treats and afterwards, enjoyed some craft beers and spun my favorite CD'S until late at night. No internet, no problem, and nothing will get you moving better than being off the grid for a few weeks. I understand the importance of the internet but being without it was a blessing, and unlike others that reside here I've discovered that the real fun lies within myself rather than within the internet.