On a Cloud

A few weeks ago my mother talked to me about an unpleasant experience she had ordering at a fast food place. She shared that the younger person in front of her was being demanding. She was shouting at the people at the counter because she thought that her order was taking too long. The person kept saying out loud that being a fast food place, she had a right to complain when the service was not fast. The lady was being rude to the service crew, and it was making everyone in line uncomfortable to witness it. 

According to my mom, the woman had not been waiting that long. Given the number of people in the store that day, it was not surprising that things were taking a while. She believed that the customer was the wrong one. It didn't help that the way she was complaining was only making matters worse. It was stressing out the crew and it was making things slower for everyone else. 

This led to a discussion at the dinner table about how people lately have become very impatient. Even more so with the younger generation. Technology makes lives easier and gives people access to everything at their fingertips. This is why it’s not surprising that everyone now expects things to be fast and easy. We all agree that life may be more convenient these days, but it’s not always a good thing to be used to this convenience. 

Life these days tends to be more fast-paced compared to generations past. With everything made easier with technology, we expect everything to happen now. At the same time, we have the same expectations about ourselves. We always expect to do or achieve things right away. This puts unnecessary pressure on ourselves and others as well. 

I’m glad that I grew up when things like this were only starting to grow and develop. I was already an adult when this new online and fast-paced lifestyle became the norm. It helped me to develop at a slower pace, while still expanding my knowledge with this modern and faster one. It helped me appreciate the simpler things in life first. Later on, as the tech came in, I also made use of the benefits that it brings. 

The world could do with a little reset. We can still enjoy the modern benefits that this era brings, but we should also encourage time to slow down. We need to remind ourselves to be more grounded. We need to relearn how to pace ourselves so that we do not burn out or cause other people to feel the same way.

In this age of social media “keeping up with the Joneses” takes on a whole new meaning. It’s important to keep our mental health in check. We put too much pressure on ourselves to be like what modern technology is to us. This world now gives us instant gratification to get what we need immediately. In turn, it makes us disappointed in ourselves when we can't achieve things right away.

We often forget that we are people and that this is not a race. We need to be more mindful. We need to set boundaries within ourselves. We need to make sure that we do not allow this age of technology to dull what it means for us to be human. To be more sympathetic, patient, understanding, and grounded. We need to be more in tune with our humanity. To improve our relationship with technology and with others as well. 

It would do us all a lot of good to do technology detoxes. We should take time away from our phones, tablets, PCs, and all that. We should appreciate the simple things without the distractions of this modern existence. Social media detoxes are beneficial, too. They would help ease the pressure we put on ourselves. Because truthfully, we don't have to live up to the expectations we have of ourselves and each other.

Setting time to slow down and detox from tech is one of my life goals. I want to learn how to become more patient and in tune with who I am beyond the rush of the world that I live in. I’m sure it would do me a lot of good and it would be a great thing to prioritize for my mental health.

After years of trying to keep up with the rush of things, slowing down is the way to go for me.