I came across a beautiful post yesterday that I just had to
share and it stayed with me for the rest of the day so I decided to write about
it this morning. And it was something by David Sable, CEO of Y&R who said :
Digital
is everything, but not everything is digital. So yes, being online has made our
lives better in so many ways. In fact, I’m online as I write this. But let’s
not forget that there’s a real world out there, too, the one we live in.
The
most creative people know the value of both and how to be the bridge between
them.
No better words spoken. No better words written. And they
resonated on such a deeper level than I ever expected because I too am worrying
about how insular we are becoming. How the indoors seems more attractive than
the outdoors. How we are beginning to spend more time researching about life
than we are living life. More time trying to become experts about the theory of
life rather than becoming experts in the practical side of life.
I worry that by spending so much time indoors we will slowly
but surely desensitize ourselves from the lives we are destroying because of
our insatiable need for more electricity and creature comforts so we can maintain
our indoor life. I worry that if we are not careful we will isolate ourselves
from feeling, from seeing, from experiencing life when it is going on all
around us because we have become so disconnected from life.
Do not forget the real world we live in. Beautiful words . Beautiful
sentiment. I agree the digital age is here and it is taking us to places we
never dreamed possible in our minds. Exposing us to experiences, people, places
that may have been out of our reach before. Allowing us to see tragedies and wonders
unfold in different parts of the world instantaneously and giving us the ability
to make our own decisions about what is happening based on the people on the
ground providing us with a window into their lives.
But there is nothing like standing outside. Being in nature.
Seeing and feeling how interconnected we all are. Inhaling the fresh air.
Watching a flower bloom. A bird fly. A butterfly fluttering by. Nothing like feeling
a slight breeze brushing our cheeks. The smell of the ocean. The salt stinging our
faces.
Nothing like making eye contact with someone. Seeing the expressions
on their faces change when we speak. When something moves them or hurts them.
Nothing like a smile breaking out on someone’s face unexpectedly. Nothing like
a physical hug when we need one.
In essence, there is nothing like the reality of the world
we live in. Giving us the ability to want to preserve and sustain our living
world by seeing it disappearing around us. Noticing that there are no bluebirds
nesting in my yard this year because the crows have taken over. Alerting me to
take steps to stop the disappearance of the blue bird. Being outside allows us
the ability us to intervene to help stop the extinction of natural beauty.
Whereas when we live in a completely virtual world where our
only contact with others is through a machine, we become like machines. We
create beauty that no longer exists. But only exists in our minds and not in
our physical space. Making it much easier for us to abuse and overuse our resources
because we become detached from the physical world.
As I type I think of the irony of this blog because here I
am using the Internet to post my blog and I feel a tinge of guilt for embracing
this digital age. There is nothing wrong with the digital age, it is a
beautiful and levelling mechanism for us all to experience through our minds
what we choose to experience. But at the same time, it is just as important for
us to be outside. To experience the outdoors. To create a balance between the digital
age and living life. There is a time and place for everything. Allowing us to
have time indoors and time outdoors so we can see the benefit of both. And that
way we maintain our creativity because we understand there is ebb and flow to
life – a beginning and end and a journey in between –by learning to balance our
technological world with our physical world – we can continue to flourish as a
human race. I pray…Namaste
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