What am I doing with my hands?
Have you ever noticed yourself picking up your phone? Of course, we do it all the time, but have you actually investigated it. How often do you pick it up? What triggers you to pick it up, and why? When do you pick it up? It’s actually very interesting. One way to do this is to put your phone on airplane mode for a day and notice yourself going for your phone. For me, I do it when I’m bored or when I have some free time. If my phone is in front of me or I can see it, I tend to pick it up even more. Obviously, notifications are fuel to the fire. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a hippie that thinks we should all get rid of our phones and social media because I do think they are powerful assets that we can utilize. However, while handling power, you have to also take many precautions and not let the power control you, because then, you might as well call it an addiction.
A phone is a great tool because it encapsulates a lot of things in life. Our phones control how you communicate with others. It guides you to new places and gives you the most optimal directions to get there. Our devices provide us with a source of entertainment at our fingertips. It can even grant you a library of knowledge whenever doubt arises. So when we are used to constantly turning to something for almost everything, this device can also encapsulate many demons in life, aka addiction.
Humans finally have “telekinesis”
The ability to send your message/photos to an exponential amount of people who are nowhere near you would have been only achievable by gods 100 years ago, aka non-existent and only in myths. In addition, when we send messages, we also get to review the responses and reactions by the n number in our audience. Is this kind of power meant for mortals or Gods? We also get to evaluate other people’s messages/photos and see how the world reacts to them. We have that power now and it makes it very addicting. This is not just because of communication but because we are also alerted of many other options we can turn to on the same device. Our cravings like Netflix, video games, etc can all be accessed instantly. I have to quote the cliche quote here but it’s a fact:
Where there is great power there is great responsibility.
Winston Churchill
Which demon has taken control of you?
If we don’t put our addictions in check, they will overcome us. I mentioned earlier how you can analyze when you reach for your phone… Have you ever noticed you reach for it when you feel uncomfortable or feel some anxiety? Addiction really takes control over you when it finds a vulnerability of you and becomes leveraged to suppress the true problem at hand. Mind games will be at work here. What’s at stake here? A lot of learning from reflections. Your addiction may come in many forms. Demon of Lust will tempt porn and dating apps. Demon of sloth will tempt Netflix or social media.
Fight your demons/addiction, live a meaningful life
People take medications to suppress their anxiety and depression but I think these feelings can be blessings in disguise if addressed early on. Your body and mind are telling you about a problem that you need to address so it is your rightful duty to process it. Instead of letting mind games control you, use them to grow. Sure it can be difficult, but you will definitely come out better and stronger. The more you practice this, the better your mind becomes. Your phone is taking away precious moments of reflection. So my advice to you is, next time you feel yourself reaching for your phone, pause and think why.
