I am a rebel. I prefer books to e-readers. I live in real life as opposed to a virtual reality. I dance on my own time instead of running to the world’s relentless clock. I create instead of consuming creation. I write with a pen and paper before my fingers ever touch a keyboard.

We all have our own way of doing things, but I refuse to be a statistic lost to the ever consuming sea of advertising and technology.

Now don’t take this as an attack on technology. No, I see it as an aid to help with tasks, not a way of life. However, when I read these statistics, I felt I needed to address our future:

“Technology is so important to Millennials that 53% would rather give up their sense of smell than their tech. Over 80% sleep with their mobile phone and 32% of millennials check social media from the toilet. A Nielsen report on Millennials found that more than 74% feel that new technology makes their lives easier. While 54% said that new technology brings them closer to their friends and family.”

The article from Forbes was on VR, that being virtual reality and how we as humans are embracing it. But as we tip into dangerous territory, we risk being consumed by the very things that we are creating. We all already know someone who is obsessed with their phone to the point we feel our presence in their life isn’t as important as their fixation with their tech.

My point here is that we cannot let our minds slip into the potential Venus fly trap that is our new ‘reality’. Technology is made to assist our lives, not become our lives. We are at the precipice of a very deep chasm and one that would be next to impossible to climb out of once we fall in it.

So the next time you see a beautiful picture of roses on social media, perhaps instead of hitting the like button I’ll instead ask you to go outside and enjoy their delightful scent in real life. Our world is not just a virtual reality. It’s not a picture, a video, or a blog post that we can come back to later once a moment has passed. It’s our reality and every choice shapes it. Be present in every second because once a moment is gone, it’s gone. Life doesn’t have Tivo. Life doesn’t have a pause button. But it does have a power cord that can be cut short at any moment. And there’s no plugging back in once the power has been shut off.

Love,

Author Maggie Lynn Heron-Heidel

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