With the rise in our technological age more and more people are succumbing to various forms of egotism. We think that being “out there” and having our lives public for all to see, (what we eat, what we think, what we feel, where we go, what we buy, etc) is what gives our lives meaning and purpose.

Who are we if we are just taking care of our family behind closed doors or performing our tasks in our place of work or daily life if no one knows about it and approves of, or “likes” what we are doing and who we are?

Who are we if we don’t let the world know everything about us?

Who are we if we are ok with who we are and are hiding behind the scenes of the screens? Are we a nobody?

We have to stop and ask ourselves some questions. Many of them. Often.

Are we ok with who we are if we are only humbly and quietly living our lives unplugged? Are we less significant or having less significant of an impact on the world if we are not reaching thousands of people by putting our energy out into media outlets and creating a self that we want to be through the screen that others hold?

I don’t think technology or media is good or bad, right or wrong but we do have to check in with ourselves to see what the motive behind what we are doing is. An honest look at the motives behind what we are doing is always enlightening. What are our motivations behind what we do? Our thoughts? Our beliefs about ourselves? 

The biggest question we need to ask is are we ok with ourselves without needing someone else to approve of how we are living, what we are eating, the music we like, the way we dress, what we do for a living? Can we be ok with who we are, as we are, even if we are one of a kind?

I think a lot of people are lonely and using media to reach other souls out there in the world who are like them. With so many ways to connect, this can be a beautiful thing and we can find people in life that we otherwise may never have crossed paths with but we have to also remember that we are one of a kind and we have our own unique stamp that we are meant to leave on the world. For some that is through gathering a large following and teaching, for others it could be simply taking care of their family or living a solitary life.

We are all unique and one path is not more grand than another. We are all here, learning and growing in our own ways. Every thought, feeling and action, no matter if publicly broadcast or silently pondered, creates an energy that we put out into the world. I think it is important to realize that we are all doing this, all of the time, even if not publicly placed on social media. Those who do not use media are not better than those who do because they believe that they are being more private with their feelings and thoughts and hiding or lurking through others’ media. We all think and feel and judge. No one is better than the other.

It will be up to each individual to decide what is right for them throughout each age and stage of life; to become sensitive to the underlying thought energy and motives behind their every day actions and to become awakened to the power that lies with thought and feeling and action.

To judge others on how they should live their lives is not up to us. Sure, judging comes naturally, but we can rise above our automatic judgements and take our energy back and instead reflect upon ourselves once more. Why are we judging? What can we learn about ourselves from our judgements of others? Where do we need healing? Where do we need growth?

Tomorrow is my last day of my palliative care volunteer training course and in yesterday’s class we talked about what every person wants before they die. They want to know that their life has left behind stories, memories. We do not want to be forgotten. Perhaps in our loneliness and judgement and hatred of self we often use social media as a way to distract ourselves from our fears and feeling of lack. We want so badly to be needed, noticed, loved and remembered. Some will have to ask themselves if they do not need to scale back and remember those around them in life. Often we get so preoccupied with what is in our hand-held reality that our physical reality and people we are surrounded with are both forgotten or put on the back burner… big time! We get sucked instead into a different reality where we are only surrounded by what pleases us and what tells us that we are worthy, loved, and admired.

Real life is not all perfect and it can be tempting to want to escape into a different reality, at times this is even a beneficial thing to do, but are we only trying to escape what is real and instead run from the day to day tasks and escape the buried away feelings we are meant to face?

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the temptation of egotism and escapism humans face with the rise in technology and social media outlets/virtual realities.