It’s tough when the digital age and happiness collide. With our ability to sink into electronics that prevent us from having original thought, growth, and learning experiences that real life offers we can end up feeling rather computerized in our reactions. Yet there is more to life than any device can ever offer us if we just remember to stop and look around. With so much access to the electronics that squelch us we can easily forget the power of a simple smile.
Numbing your life with electronics is akin to giving the ATV tires a good kick but opting to stay behind for the actual ride. We all want the freedom of the ride but we don’t always want to put in the effort of swinging our leg over the seat and climbing on for it.
We all have so many choices today that it can be hard to discern exactly what we want. Should we make money online or stay with the job that we don’t like but at least feels more secure? Should we both with our spirituality or should we rely on our own knowledge to get us by? Should we patch things up with our families or remove ourselves from the drama and stress?
Every day we grab our laptop computer bags and our cell phones that are still thinking too hard for our comfort and we head off to another digitized day. Yet we are so quick to allow the human element slip right by us. We are prone to electronics because we don’t have to interact on an emotional level.
Where does the thought of happiness land in all of this? Where is our meaning when we live so electronically that we start to feel like we are part of the robotics department? There is someone right next to us that could use a warm smile or a friendly word. There is a balance that can be struck in order to develop more of who we are on a regular basis. Too much time in front of our various devices can tax us and help us forget that we can still be effective people in the world.
Yet when we have a moment of laughter shared with an actual person in the room with us (LOL doesn’t count) and we give a little of our own heart away we remember what happiness really means. When we volunteer and help a child, an animal, or an elderly individual we feel warmer than any electronic device could ever breathe into our souls.
It doesn’t hurt to care. There is definitely pain in everyday human life, but caring is a gift to you just as much as it is a gift to those around you. Turning off the electronics and centering once again on the human element is where happiness truly is. When we share of ourselves, we tend to find ourselves.