Old Soul Perspective: Technology

One of the settings I’ve spent a lot of time in during my journey is nature. As an empath living in a city, I sometimes feel overwhelmed just by being in public places. Whether it’s encountering people with negative thoughts, careless attitudes, or worse: those in pain or needing help, the stress within busy environments like grocery stores often leaves me needing time to recharge after being around others. Crystals have helped me deal with this, but solitude became a new friend for clearing it up quickly. Another key component is connecting with nature.

This past summer, I made it a goal to spend a week out in a secluded area – a rented house in a small town where you had to drive for 10 minutes to reach a store. The view was farmland mixed with untouched forest, and the sky at night was so clear that you could see every star. As a newly awakened empath, the pure peace and quiet I felt there was healing on its own. Spending most of the day outside just taking in the view, enjoying each moment, while being gentle and honest with myself, brought me clarity and much to think about. In fact, this blog and ideas for articles were created one afternoon during this trip.

Sometimes we need to find our own means to “tap into the universe,” and spending time outdoors is a great way to do it. I originally planned to meditate outside on this trip but found I didn’t need to as long as I allowed myself to just be outside. I kept myself relaxed, on no schedule, and without thought. That last part was the hardest, but it was essential for receiving the clarity I sought. In a way, I created my own form of retreat by taking this trip, and I recommend doing something similar whenever you feel the need to disconnect.

The disconnection played a significant role in the trip and the thoughts I had. I knew I could expect a very unreliable Wi-Fi connection, but I didn’t expect to be out of service range on my cell phone. I took this discovery as a sign to turn off all the electronics for the week. During this week, I realized a lot about technology’s use in life and its impact on societal needs and people, especially those like myself. I welcome and am open to differing opinions, but I have found this to be a common perception among like-minded individuals I’ve shared these thoughts with.

For starters, I’m not a fan of social media. It serves a great function in connecting people easily but feels more like an obligation nowadays. As someone who still enjoys handwriting letters to friends in other countries, I cherish the personal approach when connecting with someone. Perhaps it’s also because I agree that a lot of things are better spoken than typed, but I find social media has taken away from what it means to meet with and talk to another person. And let’s not even get started on the dark side of putting yourself online; forget privacy, and forget being in control of what’s expected of you for that reason.

Even though I critique social media, I know there are many people who feel the opposite way and that’s perfectly okay. When I was in high school, cell phones were just becoming accessible to everyone – but even then, not everyone my age had one yet. Laptops were still brand new too, and no one my age had one; so people weren’t bringing any devices to school. In fact, I remember how the few teenagers who owned cell phones often got kicked out of class if the teacher ever saw it in their hands. 

Meanwhile, my nieces and nephews got their first devices (iPads) by the time they were only 4 years old, and they've grown up glued to them. This progressed to them getting cell phones by the time they were 10; more often because "other kids at school have them". Fair enough... but the profound change I've observed in them - when it comes to their early development skills (socially speaking) - ends up being the first thought I have when I think about how much technology has changed society. I've witnessed these children grow up with social anxiety and treat people they don't know negatively. When pressed about the "why" of the often shocking statements they are able to verbalize, there's no real answer. They just take queues from how they see peers treat each other online; which, sadly, is often just bullying.

As an adult who owns more than just a cell phone and a laptop, I can attest to how distracting technology is to real life. Thanks to cell phones, we can be reached anytime, anywhere. I don’t think I need to elaborate on that fact. While the Internet is an endless source of information, the fact that absolutely anything can be online should always indicate that it shouldn’t be relied on as a sole tool for early development and education.

The above is probably the quickest and simplest way I can summarize the downsides of today's reliance on technology. With a surely even more progressive future, who knows what it will be capable of. When I realized these were my perceptions, I also realized another crucial fact: being so “connected” has subconsciously imposed anxiety on me. Whether it’s the need to address someone immediately because they can see you online, or having others’ personal woes, distressing or fake news, and negative comments imposed on you, the online world truly has become a driving force in our lives – whether we realize it or not. Realizing this for myself is exactly why I don’t spend much time online unless I'm doing something productive.

To each their own, as I’m sure there are varying opinions. However, forcing myself to turn off everything that “connected me to the world” during this retreat made me realize how much of a relief it was to lose those obligations temporarily (and how free I felt for it). I’m tempted to call them responsibilities instead, as I’m sure many people out there have a reason to feel that way about it. And that just brings me back to my exact point: the actual effect that technology has on our lives, which isn’t all healthy.

In addition to not having to answer to the “obligations” of phone calls, texts, emails, etc., I also didn’t have mind-numbing entertainment to fill my time. Even though I do enjoy movies, TV shows, and video games, I need to limit them to avoid overstimulating myself and my energy. Being forced to spend time in absolute silence with myself was the perfect setting for self-reflection because I could easily get into a meditative state. When I wanted to switch gears, I spent time face-to-face with my husband – an activity that’s become somewhat lost over the years – and we just talked. We talked about so much that, even though we’ve been together for more than a decade, we learned new things about each other (bonus!). As adults who were glued to one screen or another for both our jobs and downtime, it was the opportunity to do that [on this retreat] that gave us a chance to dive into deep conversations. These conversations brought us closer together - even though we didn’t feel there was any need to do that.

With these revelations, I am sure there are other people out there who not only agree with what I’ve said but have probably been in the same position as me. Spending a week this way (off-grid) helped to bring us closer together and showed us what’s important. Before I knew it, I suddenly yearned for a simpler life; knowing that one can survive, and be happy, without being so materialistic and plugged in all the time.

Relationships are best reciprocated with spoken words and touch. Socializing in person – and the process surrounding the act of getting together – makes the memories that we carry. Stories and details are best understood when the tone is also present, which is why it feels wrong (IMO) to primarily communicate digitally with close friends. I don’t expect everyone to agree with me, but this is why I leave my connection to technology within my work hours when it truly is an obligation of mine. Otherwise, my old soul only picks up technology to make social plans – after all, for the amount of time I will sink into composing messages to someone, I could’ve had a longer and better conversation in person!