Immanuel Kant described enlightenment as one's emergence from self-imposed immaturity. But how can a digital addict ever achieve enlightenment with so many distractions, let alone escape immaturity?
The truth is we are all wired differently which means some people's chemical make up allows them to achieve balance & enlightenment with ease, while others struggle getting dressed in time for work. I'm obviously the latter based on my previous post - Have We Been Digitally Seduced Beyond Comprehension?
We spend so much of our life distracting ourselves from the reality of the present moment; going to the cinema, watching sport, devouring box sets, staring at our phones while trawling through social media feeds, we forget to exist in the present moment.
Yes, guilty as charged, even though I'm old enough to once remember a world without smart phones or social media. However as bad as I might be, imagine if this guy had access to social media!
Practices such as mindfulness, meditation, yoga and sleeping not only help us rejuvenate and recharge. They also help us become more aware of the present moment we all live in. This also helps us to be more creative and effective in work, while also reminding us, that our jobs don't define our being.
My favorite things in life don't cost any money. It's really clear that the most precious resource we all have is time. Steve Jobs
They say find a job you love and you'll never work a day in your life. This is true and even though I'm lucky enough to have a job I love, we all still need to make time to recharge and rejuvenate. This also helps make space in our daily lives in-order to hear our inner whispers. These inner whispers often come baring gifts of profound importance and insight.
Everyone who wills can hear the inner voice. It is within everyone.
Mahatma Gandhi
It's time to fight back and I believe in the coming years we will witness a movement back to a more simplistic life and way of living. Some of the best coffee shops in the technology-fueled hub that is San Francisco have already eliminated Wifi. This is a deliberate move to encourage conversation, among caffeinated human beings, instead of just being a remote office for people silently tapping away in zombie mode on their laptops.
Besides if we don't take action now, is this is how we will end up in 2062?
Digital overload eats in to my time like an acid - but the cure is "self-discipline". To start, instead of my phone controlling me, I will turn off all alerts as these are nearly impossible to resist. In my next post, I'll outline my 12 step plan to enlightenment.