Are You Really Connected?

It is hard to say, at least for North Americans, that social media has not taken over our lives. A trend that began early this decade has undergone explosive growth and now has a place in the history books. If Facebook were a country, it would be the 7th largest in the world. Think of how much power Mark Zuckerberg has. If he posted his political views on the homepage, more than 400 million people would be forced to see it.

I think a lot of us can readily admit that we've developed a dependency on such conveniences. What is so compelling about YouTube, Facebook, Twitter? Is it the constant interaction? The desire to read into someone's life? Think about how much media is geared towards giving you a second life...any game with an avatar, say, Second Life; or any movie where you inhabit a host body through the power of mind, like Surrogates. This genres is built to give you another shot at life, this time around, having more control over what happens. Of course, people find this really compelling. So compelling, in fact, that a Chinese couple let their newborn baby starve at home as they played Second Life at two separate internet cafes. The ironic thing is, they were working over the internet to raise a virtual daughter.

It amazes me how lost we are without a stimulus. If you just imagine yourself taking a seat in the chair next to you and not doing A THING, can you do it? I can hardly imagine it; I would probably pull out my iPod or check my cellphone. It is disgusting. We are putting all our energy into being more places than once. You want to be in the homes of your readers via Twitter, or in the ears of your friends via cellphones. Stand in front of a public entrance; eg. a school or hotel. Notice the second people get out of the building they put their hand to their ears and begin chatting. Do they really have something meaningful to say??! How did we say these things before cellphones?

Our generation may possibly be remembered for our multi-tasking. We can do ten things where our parents could only do two. How many (browser) tabs do you have going right now? How many different conversations are you carrying on via text? Doing homework with the music on? And when we are not multi-tasking, we feel lost and bored. At work, do you check your Facebook? Play Brickbreaker? It seems as if everyone is connected to somewhere else; a virtual realm. However, Facebook usage will eventually decline, but then a new and improved, shiner form of social media will take its place. Currently, software developers are creating an application that allows you to access all you information from any social media site you may have membership. This means, instead of logging in and updating every status, you just input it in the application and it applies it to all of your sites.

Where will this all lead us? Is it a bad thing? I cant say for sure, the only thing I know, is that our kids are about to step into a world we never thought possible.

Booze and Drugs

The key here is self-control.

The consumption of these substance sins is near harmless if taken in moderation. Now, I am speaking from experience; as I have done my share of experimentation. I have yet to feel any pull to a drug.

I believe that it is a mental thing more than any other factor. If you can tell yourself with confidence that you won't abuse the substance, then you wont. If you believe that you can conquer the substance, then your behavior will reflect that. This is the basis of the self-fulfilling prophecy.

As for a reason behind the intake of any of the substances at hand, it is completely up to you. For myself, I enjoy trying new things; to the point you wont believe. I will carry out tasks or experiments that may be masochistic to myself or maybe sadistic to other people if I know that their gain equals more than their loss. An example you ask?

Hmmm...how about convincing somebody with arthritis to bungee jump or someone with a fear of public speaking to sing in front of a crowd in a public space. Yes, fear and humility have them chained back, but I think it is better to be unchained and possibly suffer, then to remain ignorant of what you are not suffering from. As Plato says in his Cave allegory, enlightenment may make you dizzy and nauseous at first, but once experienced, you can never go back to the dark world.

So, my advice? If you live in your own direction as opposed to being led by life's chauffeurs, then go ahead and give 'em a try. You will experience different feelings and thoughts that you may be able to translate to the sober world. This is definitely worth it as long as no harm comes of it.

Happy travels!

And remember, "Everyday in every way, I make myself better and better."