Polly Zen or Zenophobic?

A post on a friend's Facebook page got me thinking again...

Sadly the world that we live in is such that the emphasis is on being busy & attaining wealth or the appearance of having done so...

We're encouraged to keep ourselves busy at all times whether this be working in paid employment, volunteering or entertaining ourselves in the pursuit of society led goals. It's important for us to be able to afford the lifestyle we aspire to as dictated by our idols in the media. One has to ask whatever happened to personal taste? Do we really have to visit the vast cathedrals constructed in their honour? No, we can do this and more from the comfort of our own home while neglecting the very communities built up around us. Vacant premises now line our streets while once thriving businesses which once served our every need simply vanish.

Social media is king & it's sucking the life out of us & our communities. We're spending more and more time on-line ignoring what's happening all around us. 140 character posts take precedence over 140 word conversations in real life & single photos captures the essence of our souls. The world of gaming pulls us in no matter what. No respecters of age!

The world falls down around us because the item we crave is out of stock. In other news the world which we inhabit is actually falling down around us and hardly anybody has noticed. Recently the naturalist & broadcaster Sir David Attenborough asserted that we are "already facing a man-made disaster on a global scale" which "could lead to the collapse of civilisations and the extinction of "much of the natural world." "...that time is running out!" Are we really so far divorced from reality that we'll allow this to happen while our heads are firmly planted elsewhere? Could this be what used to be called 'brainwashing?'

Perhaps the old people were right after all? This is destroying family life & society! First it was the camera that stole your soul. Then the radio followed by the once ubiquitous television would destroy the very essence of family life and how we laughed. Then we said computer gaming consoles were anti-social. And now I'm saying it about social media. So, I'm old! So what...?

All of the above is now available in one simple little handheld gadget. Almost everybody has one close to them at all times - even if it belongs to someone else Mum! The 'SMART PHONE' has turned us into dummies. We are immediately available (even with the most basic of cell phones.) And yet we've simultaneously made ourselves unavailable to our family, our friends, communities and most of all ourselves. BUT ONLY IF WE ALLOW IT!

Used sensibly they're an amazing bit of kit and can be a positive addition to our lives. Did you know that it has a secret off button? Yes, you can turn it off, put it down & walk away, leave it in the car or heaven forbid even turn the modem off. Best of all they need a rest occasionally too so they will thank you for it by performing better in the long run...!

TAKING CARE OF OURSELVES IS THE SINGULARLY MOST IMPORTANT THING WE CAN DO! IT ENABLES US TO SEE THINGS MORE CLEARLY & TAKE CARE OF OTHERS TOO. Polly PS. Apologies for the formatting, I've no idea why it's behaving like that and less idea of how to fix it!