Let’s BE where we are

 

I read this article about Canadian rocker Bif Naked in Indulge Magazine today and this excerpt hit a chord:

“I look out into the crowd and there is not a single face out there, it’s just all iPhones. Our culture is now that; all you perform to is iPhones, not faces.”

The experience left her feeling as though she was on display as a “dancing cancer monkey.” And, subsequently, every show on the tour was a repeat of the same thing: a crowd of phones.

She eventually realized that the cellphone phenomena had nothing to do with her, or with cancer, or with music – but everything to do with the immediacy-obsessed culture we now live in.

“People are able to capture what they are seeing and instantly put it in the universe. I kind of had to get over my self-consciousness, but it’s been a struggle.”

 All you perform to is iPhones, not faces.

This is nothing new of course, it’s the digital age, and I am as guilty as the next of snapping photos, tweeting, facebooking, texting and generally being consumed with my smart phone. (Instagram is finally available for Androids, not gonna lie, I’m excited to go to town with those 37 filters!)

But it made me sad, sad for Bif Naked, sad for other musicians and sad for us, that we can’t enjoy a concert, or be anywhere for that matter anymore, without pulling out our phones and gadgets to tell the world where we are and what we’re doing.

I had a yoga teacher in Hawaii named Murti who jokingly coined the term iBod, in reference to the head down, shoulders hunched position we take on while looking at our phone. He counted eight people one morning on his way to work  (only a couple blocks) in iBod position while they crossed the street.

I took a five month hiatus from Facebook recently (we’re talking total deactivation here folks), which I’ve done before, and not surprisingly, I find I am much more present and engaged in my own life when I’m not plugged in to social media every day. I didn’t pull my phone out half as much when I was out and about. I read more, I wrote more, and I was a better listener. I was plugged in to myself and real life.

It is an everyday challenge to be mindful and present. And technology isn’t bad, it’s pretty darn amazing for reasons I don’t need to explain, but let’s make sure to “check in” with ourselves and know when it’s time to unplug and recharge.

Let’s be aware of our iBod as we cross the street

Let’s show our faces at a concert,

Let’s close our eyes and hear the music,

Let’s take our time to embrace, experience, and process a moment, an hour, a day

Let’s BE where we are, instead of telling everyone where we are

Let’s look up from our gadgets to notice our surroundings, smile at someone, listen to the orchestra of life

Let’s take a photo in our mind’s eye

Let’s connect in real time when we can

Let’s unplug and go outside

On a recent trip to the Big Island, I went horseback riding on the absolutely stunning Kahua Ranch and my heart sunk when I opened my saddle bag only to find that I had accidentally left my camera behind. We were too far into our three hour ride to turn around and I couldn’t believe I wasn’t going to be able to capture the beauty of my surroundings on camera. But I realized it was a blessing in disguise. If I had my camera, I would have been preoccupied with getting a good shot, instead of being present. It’s an interesting predicament, to document an experience or not. We are all storytellers, and it comes naturally to want to capture a moment. So I guess we capture some and allow others to rest in our hearts and minds. Those are usually the most special ones anyway.

I am reminded of this ad I saw for the Dodge Journey awhile back. It’s cleverly written and brilliant marketing, but I like the message.

 “It’s ok, the internet will be just fine without you.”

And of course, now that I’ve recorded these thoughts on my blog, I will share them via my social media portals, in the hopes that you will “like” them, or at least contemplate them, become aware of your iBod position, proceed to put your phone down and go outside 🙂