The Verizon Guy couldn’t believe I wouldn’t take the free i phone when I had to stop by to activate an old phone for my daughter. My decision seemed insane to his world view. I wonder if I will continue to have a choice to stay unplugged from the WWW in my walking life. I want to turn off and drop out.
Do you have people in your life who are present, but not there at all, except for brief moments?
Hanging out with humans has taken on a new layer of disconnect from over-connection; even though, I am much removed from the new normal level of connectedness most are experiencing. I’m practically choosing to be the last year’s model of human. The constant reporting and updating from life, texting, looking things up, checking email, posting, etc. causes people to never be where they are for real, often missing much they will never know they missed.
Is the polarity gap showing up in the technology? I do have friends who have iphones and pads who keep them out of sight except for a moment here and there when the connection is helpful or illuminating in the moment.
Also, some, while they are physically present, can be seen to be creating a Facebook slice of life for the life they are experiencing in the moment; the picture of the meal, the friends in an instant group picture, the look at me here now, while not being here now at all.
Constantly creating an image takes one out of just being, just living in the moment. I have found myself taking mental pictures with blogging in mind and pulled back to remember, I am in this moment, my eyes are just seeing, my being is connected with all right now in a truer way than any writing or recaptured moment through story-telling can convey.
I heard this Red Ice Creations podcast years ago with Henrik Palmgren and Neil Kramer:
and instantly related the topic to so many I interact with, care about, share history with.
Often I feel like I am standing on one side of a strange land, looking over a crevasse to the other side of people existing in a different way. The large screen tv’s seemed to bring in a ramped up level of fear and identification with the body to hypnotize the human animal to such a degree we started to look and behave like different creatures altogether. We joke about sheeples and zombies, but there is some truth behind the humor.
Sometimes in stores or daily public interactions, I have sudden eye contact with another being, which is unrelated to appearances or exterior identity, in which we acknowledge WE ARE HERE. WE ARE PRESENT AND ALIVE TOGETHER, unrestricted and present together. And then I look back to the sea of people who are listening to an inner voice of their small identity. I can recognize and relate to that – it isn’t gone from me, either, but I know I can pull my head up above this sea of confusion and take whole gulping breaths of the fresh air of a clear mind. Once that air is truly tasted, how can I ever go back to the sea of confusion for good.
Beyond just the distraction found with many who are walking around mostly unconsciously, riding the wave of the benefits of the interconnected public life of projected imaging outward onto platforms for solidifying identity, there is also environmental and health related issues to consider.
There are only two outlets where the wireless can plug in for our new house. The one most hidden and practical happened to be behind my bed. I have not slept well since the move. Today, I wake again, much earlier than needed, and find myself figuring out how to move the wireless device. I would remove it all together, but I am teaching online. How do we dance this dance with change occurring so quickly? Our bodies are being used as Guinea pigs for absorbing the brunt of waves we barely understand.
This film, which I think does not wish to be embedded, raises important questions about the effects of such technology. If they disable, the film is Resonance, and can be found on Youtube.
Life as Improv 