The world is changing faster than it has ever before. It’s challenging to keep up with the latest. Our greater dependency on technology fuels this trend. We know what the advantages to technology are. We have more opportunities and greater conveniences than we have ever had before. The advances in health care are enormous and the promise of the future is encouraging but the challenges are increasing.
The first challenge is how to wed our greater dependency on technology with our sense of self. Technology gives us the opportunity to connect with almost anyone anywhere, which leads to the concern that if we are not in instant communication we might miss out on something.—that text or call that pertains to a different reality than the one we are engaged with at the present moment.
As soon as we see or hear a signal that we have an incoming message, we interrupt what we are doing to notice the nature of that incoming message. Very rarely is it something important that has to be handled in the moment.
We pay a price for these distractions. In the process we lose our ability to really get into something and know it well. Rather than being in the moment with what we are doing, we are already thinking about something else. Is that something else more important than what we are doing now or the conversation we are having with someone else. Our minds are constantly at work trying to figure that out. We don’t know how to still the mind. We don’t know how commit to just being.
What has been lost is the ability to connect with others and to work together. The flow of our conversation and ideas has been interrupted so that we aren’t able to go deeper. The irony is that none of us like to be interrupted but that is exactly what happens. What makes it worse, is that we are being interrupted essentially by a computer. The energy changes and the connection has been lost. Sure we have more information at our fingertips, but we’ve replaced intimacy with information.
All of this leads to a greater sense of isolation. Even when we want to connect face-to-face we’re not exactly sure how to go about doing it. Communication is an art form and, like other art forms, needs to be practiced. We get better the more we do it. There is nothing better than connecting with another. In fact when we become master communicators it’s magical.
Perhaps the biggest challenge is how to make peace with an uncertain future. That uncertainty is there in almost all facets of our lives—our safety, our finances, our health, and our sense of wellbeing. The rapid technological changes contribute to this uncertainty.
Our challenge is to develop a trust that if we live totally in the present that the uncertainty we have about the future will unfold the way it should. Our part is to be 100% committed to whatever we are engaged in. It doesn’t mean to be in denial of some of the problems that we experience individually and collectively. But when we approach these concerns with 100% focus and effort, then we begin to discover solutions to problems that previously were thought to be insoluble.
Here’s a suggestion. For one precious moment, learn to trust it’s all going to work out. For that one moment just be. Then try it for ten minutes. Just be and give your concerns a holiday. They don’t need you all of the time. That holiday includes taking a vacation from your smart phone—plan your digital detox now.
Living in the moment and being present is an art form that can be cultivated. The ones that have mastered it have a presence about them. They are connected to the source of their personal power and all that is and has always been.
There are more and more articles in the main stream about the practical and spiritual benefits of having a mindfulness practice. Meditation in the morning is an essential practice to cultivate in this rapidly changing world.
You know I love hearing from you. Feel free to share this article with those in your circle.
"To dream - again. To dare - again.
To feel enjoyment and happiness - again,
or for the first time.
To realize - Ah, this is living ---
This is the stand I take!"
Journey on
Mark
Mark Susnow, is an executive-life coach and recognized thought leader who inspires others to believe in themselves. He is passionate about life being an exciting journey of discovery. His enthusiastic and inspiring keynotes on change, leadership and connection thoroughly convey this message to his audiences. A former trial attorney and musician for 30 years, he integrates what it takes to be successful in the world with the inner wisdom unfolded to him through years of yoga and meditation. In his former career he was covered by The New York Times, Rolling Stone Magazine, Boston Globe and The San Francisco Chronicle.
He is the author of Dancing on the River: Navigating Life’s Changes. Most recently he has written Discover the Leader Within. http://inspirepossibility.com