At times it seems the world seems is crumbling around us. We’ve never been more in touch; yet we’ve never experienced so much distance.
It’s too easy to mistake the notification button for something meaningful.
We’ve been fooled into thinking that getting a ton of likes will validate us back into happiness.
But seeing that notification button only releases a quick hit of dopamine. This is the land of quick pleasures and diminishing returns. It works for a minute, then we spend the rest of our day (or year) chasing that same high.
More likes, more likes, more likes.
More loneliness.
It’s more important than ever to remember that the real cause of addiction is isolation.
Social media and technology have created the perfect storm. The more we hold onto our phones instead of pursuing real connection, the more isolated we become.
And the more we click, click, click in an effort to “fix” it.
What we’re actually after is happiness–and that doesn’t hide on your Facebook feed or at a store at the mall.
It’s time to understand that pleasure can no longer be confused with the real deal.
Happiness cannot be bought or sold, no matter what the world is telling you.
Real happiness stems from contentment. It’s serotonin instead of dopamine. It’s steady, not addictive. It flows from within, instead of existing only somewhere outside of us.
And one of the best ways to cultivate happiness is through connection.
Real connection must occur out there in the real world. It’s heart-to heart-talks, it’s eye-contact, it’s sharing our vulnerabilities.
Every single one of us has a core wound. We’ve all felt abandoned or neglected. We’ve made mistakes. We carry shame about our imperfections.
And we’ve never been loved exactly the way we needed to be. (Because we’re doomed to be loved by our fellow infallible humans).
What we perceive to be shameful is actually our greatest tool for growth and expansion.
Being vulnerable enough to share those experiences is the only way to find the happiness we crave.
Social media is just another distraction, like shopping, gambling or sex. It lies to you by pretending to be focused on other people.
But at the end of the experience, it’s always just you…and a screen.
How this will ultimately change our society is still a huge question to be answered!
But creating a society of screen addicts who are increasingly isolated does not bode well for our collective futures.
The time to start remedying the problem is now.
It’s time for us all to remove our masks and to summon the bravery to be real.
Because we all have more in common than we think.
We’ve been fed marketing lie upon marketing lie. We’re used to being told that we’re not good enough (so that we have to buy something in order to be happy).
We’ve learned how to put up our mask, to create our false fronts, to carefully create our personas so that we can feel accepted, loved, cool.
But what if you didn’t need to try so hard?
What if you could take a deep breath, exhale all the bullshit, and just be…you?
The most punk rock thing in the world is to summon the courage for honesty. To be raw. To be real. To be the imperfect human you are.
But I challenge you to try it.
It’s time to forget the lies you’ve been told. It’s time to throw away all that marketing and media hypnosis and accept yourself exactly as you are.
If you want to create more love in the world, it’s time to start with you.
It’s time to start a vulnerability revolution, where we can all finally be free to be us. A world where we can each love and live, without fear of being rejected for our imperfections.
Because it’s the ultimate cure for the consumerism, hatred, social media addiction.
If we were all so brave, we could change the world.
And we can. But it all starts with you.