I’m not going to write another opinion on social media and its contribution to the progression or suppression of humankind. There are solid points for both sides.
As a person who spent years with monks and nuns contemplating the “oneness” of all things, I appreciate that social media represents that idea fairly well, both in its vastness and horror. What you find online exists in you, as well as in that obscure space you label as “out there”. Previous generations found it easier to cluster themselves with those who agreed with them while ignoring the dual nature of life; there is always a valid opposite. Now, the valid opposite is in everyone’s face when that face is fixated on a screen. I have no problem with that.
I would like to make a prediction, though. One hundred years from now, someone will begin to advertise something new called “individual consciousness” that you can learn to find in your primal mind. There will be some kind of program. You’ll be weaned from technology gently. You’ll practice solitude in seconds, then minutes, then hours. You’ll stick with it because the ad was intriguing. You won’t understand all of it, but it will resonate:
- Know the peace of 0 followers and 0 following.
- Rid yourself of podiums, soapboxes, and platforms.
- Understand that you are valid because you are.
- Lose your paparazzi; no witnesses necessary.
- Accept that your value is beyond branding or appraisal.
This return to what still seems natural to some of us will be revolutionary by contrast.
In the meantime, I want to see how many people liked my latest cat pics.
