***** We all have the right to decide for ourselves *****
I decided to take a break, hopefully permanent, for the greatest trending social media channel – Facebook. I’ve reached the point when realizing that I used to spend more than 50% of my spare time on this “delighting” and “brain boosting” activity (for about 9 (!) years). Scrolling down and witnessing what people had for lunch/ dinner, where people check in and what people admire or wish to buy.
I’ve come to realize that the social media is just a manipulation tool and I’m not good at being manipulated.
Social media – a tool full of commercials inducting people a need that is not real – the need to buy things they could actually live without; the need of being in a never ending disruptive competition; the need of envying what others do or have, instead of being grateful and enjoy what they have; the need of perfectly plastic beauty; the need of adhering to masses (“if you have no Facebook account, you don’t exist”); the need of having and explaining our own created monsters to people who would never actually care; the need of showing off our plans or goals, things that may never be achieved; the need of touching the sky thru a screen, with the aid of ideas we never believed in; the need of unreal!
Use it as a tool to communicate useful information,
not for creating an avatar!
People force themselves to become more individualist than ever. Everyone minds their own phones, while in the subway; no one takes a chance to look around any longer; no one cares any longer. Personal awareness is a good thing, but this is way far to being aware! This is selfishness, provided by “over qualified” media trends. If you are a bit weird – in the means of just observing, people stare, gossip and laugh.
Without any reason or need to explain my decision, I state this: my life deserves a chance to real connections, to real communication and a chance to a healthy and peaceful mind.
Nowadays, people may consider my decision as being a reckless gesture… How can I withdraw myself from an ocean everyone thrives to be diving in? Simple answer: remember I swim against the tide! If everybody goes right, there’s 95% chances I would go left. But, what if I told you there’s life beyond social media? The internet is free (they say, but you pay a plan for it) and is full of all kinds of information you may be interested in. Like free books, for instance; or music; or materials created by people who can actually teach us how to be present (though this should not replace a live seminar, in a conference room).
On the other hand, the world outside our phones is beautiful and needs a human to look it up and observe. People, observed individually or in groups, have so many reflections to show, so many lessons to teach… Animals, likewise – they can teach humans unconditional love and compassion; Nature? Oh, nature…! It has so many beautiful sounds to infuse your mind with – you just need to stop for a minute and listen: the moment leaves unchain themselves from a tree, the twit of a bird, the flow of a river, the waves of an ocean/ a sea hitting the shore… And so many things that would delight all our senses. If we stop our daily routine for one moment, we will enjoy the sun caressing our faces, or the wind touching our hair, or a little ladybug landing on our finger, or the taste of a fresh picked fruit. But we choose to run from all these. We choose to become an avatar in a human created illusion.
Since you’ve read this far, I suggest a small disconnection exercise: Just stop – for a few moments… Now watch – what’s going on around you… Now acknowledge – how you feel about giving this world and yourself a chance… Now think – about choices you have at hand…
This is a great practice I expose myself to, daily, since I stopped browsing thru the unreal! I take a stroll from the subway to home and feel my breath, without counting or anticipating it; I watch the trees and communicate my gratitude to them – they’re the number one oxygen providers, after all; I observe strangers – without judging their actions; I befriend the wind and clear my mind. I focus on the now. You can call this a 15 minutes “meditation on the move“.
Results? As all my human shape and mind have been fed by these wonders, I get a chance to think clearly. When I reach my destination, I’m calm and I feel more relaxed when it comes to challenges.
Maybe you can give it a try and learn its effects on your own self…
You may ask why I mentioned “real influencers” in the title. Well, I do hope I made it clear. If not, take a look at yourself, after exercising the above. YOU are the real influencers! Only YOU can decide upon what’s best for you. No one else but YOU can fit your own shoes. Walk them wisely!
*** Let your own actions influence you, not the things you don’t believe in ****
Love,
A.
A.
Take No Fake 
This is brilliant.
I deleted my fb and Instagrams and believe me never needed the need to go again.
Thank you for sharing.
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Well done! I still use fb messenger, but haven’t opened fb application since this article was posted 😉 And I need to say that I don’t need it. I have so much more spare time.. For me, my kids, learning, writing… Things I never had time for in the fb era 😜
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Truly. Life is at peace now. I just give time to my blog.
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Way to go! 😉😘
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