Affirm Life

That’s sad. How plastic and artificial life has become. It gets harder and harder to find something…real.” Nin interlocked his fingers, and stretched out his arms. “Real love, real friends, real body parts…”
― Jess C. Scott, The Other Side of Life

What does it take these days to keep going? What does it take to keep your vibration up? Attention. Practice. Concerted effort. All that, because if you don’t, the mechanisms set in place to distract you, will easily pull you off course and get you sidetracked in everyday rigamarole.

Sometimes when I get pulled off-center, I snap-to and try to figure out what happened. Everyone has an opinion on Facebook (and other social media). It seems to be that it’s more important to make your point known, to reign over the social media airwaves, than what others are saying. What someone has to really say matters so little. Why do certain things get a rise out of us? Why is a dissenting or opposing view the fodder that lights the fire under our bottoms, and makes us come all up and outta our right minds?

I think it is because we don’t talk much to each other anymore. We bury and shield ourselves (and our hearts ) behind the technology we carry, and in the process, lose real connection. Picture this: a table of several people gathered for a meal, but no one talking to the other. Everyone is texting, tweeting, or snap-chatting with people “out there”, instead of the ones with whom they have gathered. Really, people? Really?

I harp on this because it really disturbs me. Maybe it’s because when I was raised there was help from neighbors, conversations over the backyard fence, community potlucks, people helping people. Nowadays people don’t want to ‘get involved’. I caution you – don’t be tempted by the continuing allure of developing technology. I fear you will regret it one day. Things supposedly meant to improve our lives can’t just be accepted without at least a peek into the implications of that offering. I love the amazing potentialities (for good) for the possibilities of future technology – to enhance life. I pooh-pooh the short-sighted adoption of such without a look at where we may possibly be heading.

“There will come a time when it isn't 'They're spying on me through my phone' anymore. Eventually, it will be 'My phone is spying on me'.”
― Philip K. Dick

Yesterday I saw an article from a former Facebook executive who said, essentially, “he wised he had known what this technology (FB) would do.” Yada yada yada. Why didn’t he? I’m undercutting everything he said here, but you can read the interview here: (https://gizmodo.com/former-facebook-exec-you-don-t-realize-it-but-you-are-1821181133?utm_medium=sharefromsite&utm_source=Gizmodo_facebook ) . The long and short of it – he doesn’t let his children use social media because he now sees. Sigh.

Well.

I am not anti-technology. I’m probably one of the biggest techno-gadget people out there. I love the possibilities. I grew up with The Jetsons. BUT. I see that unchecked so-called progress, may have bigger unintended consequences than we can imagine. The creep of technology will have us incorporating artificial stuff into our very being. (Think: chipped pets for starters). It might not be long until we have accepted them in ourselves. (I know the technology has already been created...we’ve only introduced to the idea, theoretically, in a sci-fi, what-if kinda way). We have to keep asking the right questions, keep our journey rooted in life-enhancing actions, not marching toward more and more artificial so-called life. That’s all I’m saying. And wethepeople, we need to remember not to lose touch with each other. We must remember to care. We have to make each other a real priority. We must do what it takes to demonstrate that humanity first over technology is the only acceptable way down Future Road.

We must connect with each other and support life. Compassion and love are the sure-keys to our thriving. We must keep driving the progress train, not be driven by artificial intelligence.

People matter. Love matters. Affirm life.