The Importance of Putting Down Technology
This blog was inspired by a vlog (click here to see the vlog) that I watched from Geoff Mays. Geoff is an incredibly talented actor and very wise man. Although this vlog pertains more to acting in some ways, I found it very interesting and it got me to thinking....Why are we so hooked on technology now, but in yester years we ran, jumped, played, socialized and imagined so much more than we do today?
Why is putting down technology so important? Not just for children, but for adults too. In a time before video games and advanced technology, we were forced outside or, if the weather was inclement, we were force to use our imaginations to do something inside. Now, we just grab our technical devices and go. Please don't get this wrong, technology has given us a great deal of communication and ability to more easily see what is happening around the world, but are most of us now hiding because of this?
To be in "balanced health" we need ourselves in "balance". As children, we had rosy cheeks and energy to spare. Our parents ensured that all of our nutritional needs were met and that we were in good health. We played in sand boxes, ate things there that we probably shouldn't have, but didn't die from them. Some of us made mud pies, others beautiful sand sculptures or roads for our dinky cars. Some of us pretended to be our idols or super heroes. We played dress up with our Mom's shoes and clothing. We climbed trees, bike rode, roller and ice skated, climbed fences and tore our clothes, went to the forest, played hide and seek, tag, red rover and so much more. Even many of the adults got involved with the things we did. Camping was a much simpler thing. There was no electricity or running water, but we had fantastic times! How many of us do this anymore and why not?
There seems to be so many questions with this day and age as to why we no longer do the things that we did as kids. Sure some of us still do, but more of us don't. Adults socialized at parties when we were young. Now we hide behind computer screens and cell phones. I guess for adults, going to the local bar for dancing and drinks is socializing, but what about our children? They go to a friend's house, turn on the computer and look at each other’s Twitter, Instagram or Facebook for their social gathering. A friend's daughter went to a birthday party / sleep over and said she felt alienated because all her friends there were on their cell phones. She doesn't have the technology and social media accounts that they have and was left out. How sad is that? Is this the balance that our lives have now?
Balance for our health is mind, body and soul. How are we achieving this through social media? Sure we can look up our "Spiritual Beliefs" on-line, but what about nature? We need to get back to nature in order to connect ourselves to it, but you cannot do that from a computer. Sure we can look at images. How do we connect through the internet; feel the earth beneath our feet, touch the rough bark of the tree, smell the wild flowers in the air, the freshness after a rain? The only way is to physically be there. For lack of better terminology, we cannot recharges ourselves unless we plug into the outlet where the energy we need to recharge is connected to. We need to connect with nature, in nature, in order to be in balance with it. We need to connect with our body, within ourselves, in order to be in balance with it. We need to connect to our mind by using it and quieting it (meditation) in order to be in balance with it. The one thing we cannot seem to disconnect from, is the walls in our homes, because that is where our technology plugs in.
So how do we connect to our mind, body and soul? Well meditation is great for this. There are so many YouTube videos available for learning meditation as well as sites such as this one where it can be taught. Yoga is another way we can connect with ourselves. As for stimulating the mind...put down the technology even for an hour and go and use your imagination without the technology involved (this was the challenge from Geoff Mays). It may seem simple, but very few people do this anymore. Yes, currently it may be cold outside where you are, but think back to when you were a kid and went tobogganing. Wow!!!! Nature, exercise, using imagination and away from technology!! How much fun was it? Did you imagine you were flying into outer space, a member of a bobsled team, going faster than a speeding bullet? Did you ice skate or play hockey and imagine you were a Olympic gold medallist or pro hockey player scoring goals? Those days connected us to our minds, as well as allowing us to grow our imaginations to become who we are now and other fringe benefits.
You may not be where you imagined now, but did you stop imaging or playing at some point to grow up? If you want to loose weight, do you stop eating healthy, stop setting weight loss goals, or stop exercising? No, you do these things because you can imagine what you look like without the excess weight, even if it is an image of someone else's body. You now have an image in your mind, and you imagine your head on that body to look forward to. Most success stories tell you to set goals for yourself, dream. Wait, weren't we told as kids to get our heads out of the clouds, but now successful people are saying dream? Conundrum? How successful were the teachers that taught you this? Were these the ones that inspired you, or just taught you? Those that dared to dream (Walt Disney) were extremely successful. Wayne Gretzky knew what he wanted. He started playing hockey as a kid, imagined he was one of hockey's greats, set his goals, didn't stop and kept dreaming. Look where he is now. What about Steven Spielberg? Star Wars anyone? Getting in touch with your mind not only means quieting it, it means using it to get to where you want. So go out and play. Dream and set goals for yourself. Once you put this into motion, you will get closer to your dreams. Don't let anyone take your play (imagination) time away from you.
As a last note, I would like to thank Geoff Mays for his inspiration for this blog. Geoff, I have already seen your name in tv credits. I am looking forward to seeing you, "in theaters near you" and on stage at the Oscars, really soon!!! I know you will be there.
