Ditch the Data

I feel that sometimes as an culture we are consumed with iPhones, iPads, iPods, iMacks, and everything in between. Over labor day weekend I became ill. I couldn’t keep any liquids in my body for several hours. It was a scary and frustrating time. I confess that while I was lying around waiting to become sick again I spent many unproductive hours on my down fall–Pinterest!

Recently I was in a waiting room setting. What I noticed was everyone in the small room had their eyeballs glued to their smart phones! With four of us in the room, none of us made eye contact with each other. I thought to myself, how ridiculous is this? “Smart phones” are keeping us from having any sort of social interaction with each other. We are all sitting here, have said no words to another person but only have utterly made the same thumb motion of just swiping up and down. I am in no way going to say that smart phones are evil or bad. Cell phones have the potential to be a really good thing. But sometimes that power of having the internet at your hand is abused. I refuse to make an snapchat account because I observe others around me all the time spend more time taking selfies to send to ‘Bae’ than actually taking advantage of those physically around them.

I encourage you to spend a little less time on Instagram and a little more time with others without a screen connecting you to them.
“Ditch the Data” I think it should be called. Because memories aren’t made by staring at a screen but by connecting with your surroundings.

This weekend I was at a little cafe that my family enjoys going to for breakfast on Saturday mornings. Towards the end of our meal, a beautiful family came in and sat near the booth we were sitting in.  Shortly after they seated every member of the family had their electronics out; a sight that is common in this day and age.  Soon afterwards the mother told her family that they are to put their phones away so that they can enjoy each other.  This is what families should get in a habit of doing, so that they spend time with each other, not with other screens.

For the season of high holy days, I took social media off my phone until the holiday season is over. I did this because I realized that I was spending A LOT of time on Facebook and Instagram when I should of been reading Yeshua’s Word, and it was becoming a idol for me. In this way I have “ditched the data.” I’m not sure if I will re-download those apps when the holiday’s pass.

In conclusion, spend time with others, not with Data.

Happy Saturday Lama-Leah readers!