Modern age technology is a vehicle by which distraction overwhelms society. The degree of disconnect is visually and tactilely palpable. We are disconnected from nature. Open spaces succumb to the frenzy of development and are underappreciated for the inherent, raw beauty they contain. We are disconnected from each other. Gone are the days of knowing the neighbor down the street, many barely know the neighbor next door. We are disconnected from . . . . . ourselves. There is information aplenty to assist in the journey of self discovery, yet many avoid that convenience.
Many people allow their attention to be monopolized because they unconsciously cede it over to technology. Comfort is an easy quality with which to become accustomed. Technology is taken to be a convenience that can alleviate boredom, anxiety, sadness, etc. It is easy to find affinity and identity oneself with some sort of screen or through a headphone set. Radio was a way to actually connect societies. Technology continued to develop. Radio, Telephone, Television . . . . each advent brought successive increases in level of attachment to things technological. Technology continued and continues to be used in ways that facilitate an unconscious addiction.
Groundedness is state that receives scant credence and, in of of itself, is elusive in modern day society. Being grounded helps to fortify mental and emotional stability in the individual. Yet, many people elect to function apart from nature. The proximity to the devices is what creates a feeling of realness. The nearness can only be real on an accepted mental level. Real(ity) will be assumed as the material dimension within which society exists, for purposes of the article. One cannot feel their screen. one cannot walk barefoot through grass that is a product of (a) projection. Yet those games that people play serve as conduits to a projected reality. Mainly gravitate to this projected reality because of discontent with ‘reality’.
The proliferation of technology throughout society creates a rift that obfuscates person to person connection. People are not, by nature, outgoing. Strangers tend to remain such. This is even more of the case with technology being available at the fingertips. People get lost in a world that they . . . choose. The availability of choice is what streamlines the process of becoming absorbed. The outside world becomes nonexistent as the individual aligns with that to which the device connects them, People are less prone to interact on a deep level. People use technology to project an image of themselves. They comfortably conceal their ‘true’ identity; not only from others, but from themselves as well.
The dependence upon technology within society hinders the developing of true self knowledge. Technology provides an opportunity to experience a degree of elation. This elations derives from a sense of control over how they, as individuals, are perceived by others, and by how they can alter the reality into which they immerse themselves. Yet, this perception, in either case, begins with self-acceptance of the projected image. It is said that in order to be a good liar, one has to believe wholeheartedly in the lie. This is the conundrum of over the utilizing of technology. How one chooses to accept reality is a personal choice. Many options for dealing with reality come with technology. The degree of disconnect and feelings of isolation come along with the utilizing of technology.
Modern populations are a distracted lot due to the prevalence technology. People, in general, do not enjoy the open spaces as m much as they do those that are presented by technology. The bonds that fostered the development of civilizations are strained due to the preoccupation with technology. People, in general, are hard pressed to know themselves because they want to promote an ‘on-line persona. Technology is meant to be a convenience, not a constraint..
Read a book. Get out into nature. Speak to a friend or a contemporary . . . in person. Unearth those repressed inner conflicts and resolve them.
Ab-Sutra Wellness and Fitness 