Connection

We were out to dinner last night and sat next to a Dad out with his daughters, and instead of it looking like a lovely evening out, he got on his phone and scrolled through his FB feed instead of connecting and actually speaking to his children. His teenage daughter soon followed, which left a maybe 12-year-old girl trying to talk to them both and wanting to tell stories, eventually giving up and taking out her phone as well.

We both found this to be so sad and yet a normal state of affairs right now. How often do you bypass connection and intimacy to escape into your phone? Is getting likes and posting about your life more important then actually living it? Do you speak to your loved ones and engage with them, or can you not wait to disconnect and ignore?

Once again, my theme is presence and being in your reality vs escaping it. The more we escape and disconnect from others, the more we lose our humanity and our compassion.

As an experiment, the next time you go into a store, notice the cashier. Look them in the eyes. Ask them about their day. Connect. Now if that thought gives you anxiety, that is a tell that you prefer to hide or escape. Has it become easier to relinquish your impact and move through your day with no thought to others? Your every move, your actions, and your words have impact. You can pretend they don’t, but they do. By acknowledging another, you acknowledge your connection to life. You are part of the whole, we are all connected. You can try to deny this fact but it won’t make it go away.

Try putting out what you would like back: to be seen, to be acknowledged, to be treated with courtesy. If someone is rude or ignores you, that’s their reality, and not reflective of yours. Don’t let that stop you. They may also be hiding or in pain etc. It’s not for you to judge, but to simply be the change and bring back awareness and connection.
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You can choose to ignore this, or you can choose to see through the eyes of compassion by connecting. The world is a much better place when you choose to engage fully.

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