Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Unplug


As I was sitting on the train tonight, looking around, I noticed how many people are plugged in to their earbuds and out of the world (myself included).  I then thought about how most of my day is spent plugged in--when I'm at work, when I'm walking around on a lunch break, when I'm riding home in the evening, when I'm biking (probably not the smartest idea).

So as I sat there, plugged, in, I thought, why do I, why do we do this?  Are we even aware we're doing this?  You'd think that the thought alone would be enough to jar me out of my buds but I left them in.  I wanted to think about it.

Why do we, a society, go around plugged out from the world?

Not only did I want to ponder this, but I also wanted to ponder whether or not it was important I change my habits.

I thought about a lot of reasons why I plug in my earbuds daily and, therefore, why others might--music can offer escape, music can offer connections to songs and the musicians singing them, buds might keep one's ears warm, plugging in is a force of habit, et cetera, et cetera.

Plugging in, however, also removes one from a lot of what is going on in the world.  It can cause one to miss out on potential interactions and observations and to disconnect from life.  Yes, listening to music can offer some sense of connection but it can also prevent one from making a lot of potential connections.

I don't write this post to tell you to stop listening to your iPod.  I offer this post so that you will think about your own listening habits and question whether your "plugging in" is causing you to miss out on other important stuff in this amazing world.  Maybe try a day unplugged and see what happens!  I promise you won't explode!

I leave you, then, with the invitation to ponder, question, challenge and confront!

With love, light and happiness,