Earlier this week, the storms from Hurricane Isaias reached my neighborhood on the edge of Pennsylvania. After a few false alarm power outages, there was finally one final gust of wind that cut off our electricity for the rest of the day, starting at around 2 pm. In the beginning it was easy, there was still daylight and we all still had some battery left on our phones. However, after a few hours passed, boredom began to sink in. We would have a surge of dopamine enter our brains every time our one bar of signal brought in an instagram notification or when a text came through. Without the power, our life seemed lifeless, which made me wonder: When the power is gone, what do we have left?
It is becoming more apparent within recent years that we live within a distraction, almost as if we have taken on the responsibility of living for other's in a sense. If we are not "logged on" then it feels like a piece of us is missing. We are living in a time when the need to show everyone a glamorous, fleeting moment in time within an instagram picture and the desire for it to be acknowledged by others, cannot fully be quenched. A little over a month ago, I had every intention of deleting instagram off of my phone, but I kept it to see how many birthday posts/shoutouts I would get. Narcissistic? Yup, but I think it's relatable too. Long story short, I never ended up deleting it, because the feeling of uploading a picture and then getting praise (really for just existing) is addictive.
Now, I am aware that this is probably the most hypocritical, self-righteous, pretentious thing I have written, but let me get something clear: What I am saying is not original. Everyone has discussed at one point or another that we are living in a fake world through our screens. I have had lengthy talks about this topic with friends and family, and you probably have too. This is something that everyone knows and there are moments when we feel its effects on us. When it comes down to it, we're human- even though we know one thing is bad, does not mean we want to let it go.
While I believe these things to be true, I do not think it means we need to swear off social media for the rest of existence. After all, there are still positive aspects and meaningful relationships that have been a result of them. However, I do believe we need to hype up our existence offline as much as we praise our persona online. Editing in real life is a thing too, we just call it personal growth instead. Raise your vibrancy, add some warmth, accentuate the highlights, and embrace the color of real life.
Unfortunately, it has become even more of a challenge within these times to find excitement within everyday living, since we are all confined in our homes due to COVID. Times are tough and sometimes everything seems to have a dull film covering it. We have all been thrown out of our comfort zones involuntarily, and have been forced to spend some quality alone time. Now more than ever, we need to get comfortable with ourselves. Now is the time to embrace what you've always wanted to but were always too scared. Let me ask you something: If it was possible for there to be a pandemic outbreak, a political uprising, a World War III threat and more, all within the span of a few months, maybe your dream/fantasy isn't so far-fetched after all. We need to stop worrying about what the world will think, we've already spent enough time doing that, sometimes we need a little darkness to remind us.
