Social media and smartphones made it easier to get in touch and stay in touch with people, from the past, the other side of the globe, or from across the sofa. Remember the days when you agreed to meet someone at 1 p.m. on the corner of such and such, you just had to turn up and if someone didn't, you just had to wait - for hours - because there was no way of getting hold of them? And we usually did. We waited and sooner or later our friend would turn up - with a good story as to why they were late. Is it possible we cancelled less then than we do now? Is it possible that a promise and the lack of smartphones and instant messages made us less flaky? Not today. Today, we have FOMO. Today, we pile on too much and we can't do it all - so we bail on promises and commitments. Today, we have access to people 24/7. We apologise when we don't reply instantly - goodness forbid, we even leave it for days. We expect other people to 'instant' message us back. This is not okay, folks. I do not owe you my time when it suits you to have it. And you don't owe me yours - or any explanation as to what you did when you weren't busy replying to me. Please stop apologising for not answering people quickly enough. Please stop feeding a culture of having to explain that you took a few days off social media or that you simply didn't feel like replying, or that your phone was charging in another room. And please stop expecting me to get back to you within a certain window of time. What would happen if we, instead, made real commitments, in real life, and stuck to them instead of being expectant pen pals? What's the story you tell yourself, and is it helpful or hindering?
But remember - it's your life, your choice! After all, this is the Manual of YOU! Until next time, take care, stay safe - and sane - and make kind choices! #CultureOfImperfection #GenerousContribution #RadicalKindness #EthicalLiving #ConnectingCommunities #ReframingNarratives #TheManualOfYou
0 Comments
|
AboutRead, follow, enjoy, like (loathe, object to) my daily, micro blog, challenging common ways of thinking about thinking and new ways to feel about feelings. Archives
April 2023
Categories
All
|