“I tend to think of life in terms of movie clips or tweetable moments… [my wife] referred to my phone as my ‘black wife.’ Now, I thought it was funny and I’m no expert, but I don’t think she was kidding… she talked about some other stuff that I don’t really remember because in my head I was too busy composing a tweet, where I would quote her with some sort of clever hashtag about marriage and about how much I love her, to be paying attention to her at that moment…”
These are the opening lyrics to “Be Present,” by one of my favorite spoken word artists, Propaganda. I chose this song to talk about because it deals with one of my pet peeves… technology!
Well, ok, I don’t hate technology (it does have a ton of perks, otherwise I wouldn’t be writing this blog), but it seems as if the quality of communication has gone down the more technology progresses.
These days, people can access Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, FaceTime, Snapchat and other social options, any time, any place. We call it multi-tasking – thinking we’re accomplishing things and making the most of life – but in reality, we can get so lost in the cyber world that we forget to pay attention to the reality that’s going on right in front of us.
“Only when you lose her, you learn to appreciate her. Like when I’m with her, I’m itching to get rid of her and she only gives you one shot, blow it and she’s gone… You can’t rush her or slow her down…. she will slip through your fingers like sand. Her name is TIME. She said multi-tasking is a myth. You ain’t doing anything good, you’re just doing everythng awful. She begged me to stop stretching her thin and stuffing her full, stop being so concerned with the old her and future her but love her now. Her presence is God’s present and you should be that.. present.”
As it says in James 4:14, “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” Think about that. It can feel as if life will never end and that we have all the time in the world, but in reality, life is short. If we’re not careful, we can waste so much time “socializing” on our phones, iPods and other technology instead of investing the time and effort it takes to make real-life relationships work.
I’m not saying that social networking is a bad thing. I love it just as much as the next guy and it is very helpful in connecting with people, sharing ideas and having a broader presence in the cyber world. But on the other hand, it can be a danger.
We can become so addicted to checking our Facebook accounts every 10 minutes or feeling the need to create a cute tweet or status about something we heard or did, that we neglect the moments we’re given to have face-to-face conversations, experience life and create new and lasting relationships.
So, before you go to check any of your social network accounts or post that awesome status, hashtag or tweet that you’ve been working on… take a moment to “smell the roses.” Sounds quirky, I know, but, seriously, take a minute and invest in the friends and family that are around you. Put aside your phone and focus your full attention on listening and conversing with someone, enjoy the outdoors and live life… be present!
“So, I guess you could say I’ve been through a divorce. My phone and I are no longer married.”
“I think I’m ready to be here… now.”
by 
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