I know that with the college football big game and Super Bowl
around the corner the major beer companies would die if everyone would discover
that you could actually enjoy a game without getting sloshed! Yet, the
challenge for many is that we don’t know how to live without entertaining
ourselves with alcohol, drugs, social media and have lost the ability to dream
about a better life that has less to do with your income than how your life
impacts the lives of others.
So how does someone learn to live life in the truest fashion
without all of these various crutches or aids? I can’t fathom what would happen
in my life if I were forced to stop texting or e-mailing and had to actually
talk to someone face to face? Regardless of someone’s age, social status or
life interest we all share the common need to be noticed, loved and
appreciated. Yet too often the celeb, sport’s figure or big time CEO type
leaves the impression on the normal person that something must be missing in
our lives because we aren’t like them.
I recently finished listening to a TED talk; I confess this
wasn’t as good as being there in person.
The person who was featured, Susan Cain, shared her life story about the
struggle of feeling left out of the world of extroverts because she would
rather read a book and be alone than in a crowd of loud mouths. I will always
remember the first night in my college dorm when I choose not to go out with a
few HS friends who got totally smashed. There was this loud banging at my dorm
room door at one am with a good friend who was too inebriated to put his key in
his door. Looking back my friend laughed at my sleeping attire when in reality
I was the one that got the chuckle out of the effects of over consumption of
beer that night.
Ms. Cain’s story on this TED talk helped highlight our need
as a society to continue to push the one size fits all mindset, especially when
it comes to the perception that real leadership can only happen if you are the
loud mouth pushy type of person. Her story highlighted the fact that it’s
possible to make it to the top without being the pushy loud mouth, drinker
type, self absorbed type and instead show that it’s possible to care for
someone, who is different from you without attempting to make them be like you.
So what would actually happened if for a day or two all of
us decided to put down the beer can, smart phone and choose not to post on FB,
Twitter or Instagram? Is it possible to go for a day without doing a selfie? I
can’t fathom the impact that the upcoming generation would have on my
generation if they actually made the effort to visit a parent, grandparent or
friend instead of texting! I know that one of the common complaints of my
better half is not taking the time to communicate in a face-to-face fashion.
What has been hilarious is watching one of my teens that is
living with us all of a sudden put down his iPhone 6s Plus and look at my
invertebrate Salt Water Tank. All of a sudden he’s entered into a totally
different world. I get this text from him about the fact that the sea anemone
was moving or that one of the fish appeared to be missing. It’s fascinating to
watch him be absorbed in the world of the sea below us.
So I believe it is possible to learn how to live without all
of the high tech gadgets for at least a few minutes and discover the beauty of
a smile without alcohol and being stimulated by a great conversation as someone
loves you just for who you are instead of trying to make you conform to their image.
J
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