Technology plays an integral part of our lives. It simplifies many aspects of day to day living, and is supposed to make for more time to focus on the people we love and the activities we love doing with them.
However, with all of the constantly evolving innovation that envelops us, many are beginning to discover its changing people, too.
Sometimes it almost feels like we’re being trained to expect instant gratification for all that we do, we’re expressing our deepest sentiments through emotionless technological mediums, and we’re blinding ourselves to the real feelings and needs of others.
So how do we cut above the wall of technology we’ve locked around ourselves and reassert our humanity to help others –when it’s so easy not to?
Here are a few tips which will help realign your focus, and make a positive impact in the lives of others while improving your own over all sense of well-being while on the move.
I’m only offering two suggestions to get the ball rolling, but I think the point is clear; we all need to remember we’re organic, analog, social creatures, and we can do more for others. We only pull out of this life what we put into it.
Carpooling
This first suggestion is “beginner” level. It is no surprise that most people spend a rather large amount of their time on their daily commute to and from work, and many wish they could maximise that time. With eyes on the road when driving a car, the radio is just about the only device you’re allowed to interact with legally while operating a vehicle.
Others taking public transportation convince themselves they’re being “efficient” with their time when they bury their eyes deep into their mobile devices. But what is efficiency when there’s no end game? What do we do it for? To spend more time alone, on our devices?
Of course not, and that’s why carpooling is a great way to help others, while engaging in some good old fashioned human interaction. Carpooling allows people to choose their travel companions for the most part, and it’s a great way to decompress after a long day at work while enduring gridlock.
If carpooling isn’t your thing but you’re an avid public transportation user –strike up a discussion, and for crying out loud, be mindful of that face you make when you stare at your smartphone screen; nothing kills a conversation before it starts more than a pensive looking deer-in-headlights-face.
Volunteer in Another Country
This second suggestion is for the more adventurous, although you don’t need to be that adventurous to Volunteer in Thailand –it’s actually quite easy. The only question is, can you handle leaving the constraints of your own life behind for a little while?
There are a million needs which require attention all around the world, and volunteering is a great way to see the world while making a difference. Consider it “volunteer tourism”, and it’s becoming increasingly popular with people looking for something to do during a “gap year”, or after retirement.
Opportunities that are available include every kind of occupation from teaching English, to becoming a medical assistant, or a home builder.
That’s all.
The “endgame of all endgames” is that we’re only here for a short time. Let’s make it count. A little empathy can go a long way when reclaiming your humanity.
The key is to get outside of your own bubble for a while so you can learn to relate to others better. Not just people who live in your bubble with you, but people spread far across the world.
Sometimes only after people see how it is for others in all walks of life, can they go home and identify the change they’d like to be in the world. But you need that one moment, first. And we hope we brought you closer to it.
Have any additional thoughts? Please let us know in the comments!
