Becoming A Conscious Consumer
I stumbled upon a recent online study by ZD Net that might grab your attention and hopefully convey the important message that I wish to make with this post:
Did you know the average American spends 5.4 hours on their phone each day? That totals over 37 hours per week. Here's the real shocker; That's 82 Days Per Year! *
Can you believe that? 82 full 24 hour days... and that's just time spent on the phone alone. The number is even higher when you include computers, i-Pads, and our UHD TV's. I was honestly shocked when I read these statistics, but at the same time, it makes perfect sense. Think about how often you go out in the world and see people consumed by the devices they carry with them 24/7. This study also mentioned how 13% of millennials spend 12 hours or more looking at their phones per day. Yikes... I mean, that's nearly all the daylight hours lost in a screen. No wonder this generation of teenagers are the most depressed in history.** This study was so mind blowing to me that it made me want to toss out my iPhone and downgrade to an old Nokia... in fact, I did downgrade to a Nokia for about six months and let me tell you, it was liberating in so many ways. But that's a topic for another post all together.
The scary thing with all these powerful devices and recent upgrades in technology is that we hardly know any of the potential long term side effects. The tech is still too new to determine how detrimental overconsumption can be to our overall physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. But I'll tell you something you probably intuitively already know; spending five plus hours a day consumed by your smartphone is not how your life was meant to be lived... not even close. Science and other thought leaders are beginning to understand the simple fact that smartphones, when mindlessly consumed, can cloud your connection to your heart, your source, and those you love most. Designed to attract our attention via gingles, lights, and vibrations, it's easy to see how we've allowed ourselves to become so addicted to this immersive technology. You're a highly intuitive and sensitive energetic being that thrives best when you're in harmony with your environment and those around you. These primal brains of ours are meant to be used as instruments and tools to help create our reality and better our odds for survival. Not just for us, but for the future generations as well. The trouble is, this simple organism between our ears is easily distracted by anything it deems potentially beneficial to our survival... even if that means falling for a fantasy that isn't actually "real".
My greatest concern, being a product of the 90's generation, is seeing how disconnected the vast majority of people have become from themselves and each other. In a time where the potential for oneness and unity is at an all time high, I see clearly how the harmful effects of technology is taking its toll on us as a species. Humans need Real Physical Connection in order to establish our equilibrium and evolve. Connection to each other, connection to the Earth, and connection to ourselves. I fear that the explosion of the smartphone is directly related to the rapid spread of depression and apathy among our world's civilized population. The reason for this of course is the fact that we've slowly been programmed to become less physical and more mental in our day to day lives. People have been unconsciously allowing their minds and bodies to become numbed and dulled to their physical reality over the last two decades. It seems that even phones themselves have become less physical in recent years. Instead of a responsive keyboard that requires pressure from our fingertips, we now have massive glass displays that feel indistinguishable to our touch. Not only that, but most phones of today can operate based solely on a person's voice commands; requiring less physical action than ever before. This is all just a process of desensitization to our senses and when used unconsciously, the device we carry in our pockets can easily remove us from our precious experience of living in reality... hence, why this has become such a problem.
It is so easy today to whip out our portable tv screens anytime we get uncomfortable in life. Faced with countless triggers and obstacles in our day, it has become almost second nature to "loose" ourselves and our "problems" by diving deep into our tech. We now have deeply ingrained patterns that cause us to numb out, disassociate, and distract ourselves from the pressure we encounter by feeling any contrast in our lives. The problem with this prolonged state of avoidance is that eventually you will cause yourself to stunt your growth as a human. Mentally and emotionally you have allowed yourself to become addicted to your device and anytime you permit yourself to avoid / disconnect from your pain, you store that pain deeper in your heart for handling at a later date. This avoidance pattern then easily becomes a habit of bottling up our negative emotions until eventually we collapse (or explode) from our utter exhaustion and frustration. Think about how easy it is to avoid an uncomfortable experience by spending a few hours mindlessly scrolling on social media. This causes you to immerse all of your "pain-body" awareness into your device, causing a comforting numbness of your mind, body, and senses. This is why it's so easy to do! Back in the day before smartphones, the public's only form of entertainment was through going out and taking physical actionin an activity, or by absorbing themselves in their favorite form of television, film, or broadcast. Those were the only options. That plus the popular over-consumption of drugs and alcohol; but that's a whole different story.
Side Note / Possible Coincidence: Like depression and anxiety, alcoholism and drug usage has steadily been on the rise since the early 2000's.***
We are now in the eleventh generation of the iPhone. You read that right. 11th. With each new apple generation the screens become larger, the colors more vivid, the processor more precise, and the tech even more invasive. Now able to require Face-ID and fingerprints to unlock... Now filled with personal data and private banking information... Now connected to an invisible cloud linking all your device history in one "secure" location; it's hard to not think we're on the edge of manifesting a real life sci-fi / thriller movie. But creepy tech aside, this "new generation" and "updated" programming has become the mind-state of our generation. As a society, it seems we have an unusually difficult time finding satisfaction with who and where we are... funny considering just how great most of us have it compared to the rest of the world. Needing the newest and best version of this and that, it's as if our ego's can never have enough cool stuff and as a result, we feel empty inside. I contribute this growing "inner-void" mentality to being the most advertised to country in the world. And where do we see those advertisements most? That's right... on our phones.
As I'm sure you can tell by now, I'm an advocate for anything analogue. The reason for this is because being analogue requires me to be much more physical in my life. To me, there's something so satisfying about being fully connected to my body and my surroundings. I've learned through personal experience that Immersing myself in my body and the present moment encourages me to be much more deliberate with where I put my focus. As a result of being fully present with my now-moment, my life feels so much more whole and complete. This connection to the now, to one's heart, and to one's source, is exactly what's missing in most people's lives. When we allow ourselves to fall victim to mindless scrolling, we approve of our body to numb out and our mind to drift aimlessly. This act of numbing out actually disconnects us from the powerful healing our physical senses can provide us with. I believe that the more people transition to this new trend of going touch-less, cash-less, key-less, wire-less, and button-less, the more Human-Less they'll actually become. You were not put here on this planet to become a heartless digital robot. It has become easy for corporations and governments to control, manipulate, and persuade people through fear simply because nobody is present. The lights are on, but nobody is home. The majority of people in this present day have become almost entirely disconnected from their physical form and ability to critical think. Dependent on a device to tell them how to act, be, or feel, it's easy to see exactly why this has happened.
Now look, I'm not saying we need to remove our phones and computers from our lives. I'm not saying technology is bad. All I'm saying is we need to become more mindful and aware of our usage. Instead of letting our device consume us, we've got to practice being more deliberate with our intention. Technology can be a powerful tool to gather knowledge and inspire change in our community. So many great things have come from the innovations of technology. Cars have become cleaner, vast amounts of knowledge is now at our fingertips, and we can build our dreams today faster than ever before. We can reach out and connect to random strangers over social media with our words and actions; strangers we would have never met or seen in the old ways of doing things. These are all huge pluses of tech. The opportunity to launch a new business and network yourself is also easier than ever. Wealth and abundance can come to you in an instant when you utilize this vast creative power of technology. But right now as a collective, I believe it is so important to begin to establish clear boundaries between what is actually "real" and what is just an illusion or fantasy in our lives. See, most of the content we consume is meaningless and purposeless in its nature. Designed to perpetuate the feeling of emptiness, and therefor fuel the cycle of consumption, it's critical we start to identify that real wholeness is found through connecting to our heart and not our device. Real wholeness is found here and now in the present moment.
Do you ever stop to think what it is you're actually searching for in your device? Is it really just some item? Or is it the feeling that item promises to bring you?
As a conscious consumer, you've got to learn to bring your own mind back into balance. To limit the time we spend consumed by our devices and instead, connect ourselves with our hearts and our planet. We must learn to turn within during times of discomfort and say yes to our evolution. Say yes to your personal journey instead of habitually scrolling past it. Now more than ever the people in the real world need your smile, hug, and affirmation of their existence. Here and now we need to be calling all parts of our soul home to the present moment. These are times of mass awakening and ascension. If you summon the willingness to put down your device and surrender yourself to your soul's personal journey, you'll be surprised with how fast the universe assembles all necessary components of your success. Learn to put boundaries on your screen time and become a fully conscious consumer. The more you limit the mind-dulling content you consume, the more inspired you'll be to become a creator yourself. A creator of your dreams, of your wealth, and of your happiness. Practice putting away the screen and connecting to the fabric of what makes you human. You are alive. You are a living and breathing organism with complete self awareness. Don't let some flashy device distract you from the purpose for which you came here. You have a dream to build. A life to live. Don't waste it chasing false illusions.
Much Love,
~ Austin
(Source Links)
* https://www.zdnet.com/article/americans-spend-far-more-time-on-their-smartphones-than-they-think/
