Experience the Experience

Too often I walk down the street and see people looking down walking towards me.  And the last time I attended a concert, my view was disrupted by the contents of the image above.  The question I would ask is 'when did we get so awful at experiencing the best the world has to give?'

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If you go almost anywhere in the world - a restaurant, a concert, a beach or even Mount Everest - the next time you have an experience, no matter how significant, take a second to have a look around.  You'll see someone on a phone taking a picture, checking social media or simply searching for a wifi connection.  It's truly awful.  

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Why aren't we experiencing these experiences? At a concert, people filming it on their phone... why did they buy a ticket, plan and travel to go, only to look at it through a tiny screen?  Or how about at a restaurant with your closest friends or family.  You're all around the table, and you have your phone in plain view.  When we do this, we send a little message to the others your with - you're only important to me until something or someone notifies my phone.

Wouldn't it be more enjoyable to say "I was there" and actually mean it?

Take this away with you after reading this - experience the life that's in front of you.  We try to capture every moment we have through our phones and cameras, that we never actually experience those moments.  What are we actually capturing all of these moments for?  The answer is usually 'to see how many likes I get' or 'so I can check it out later' - both answers are nonsensical.  Does it really matter how many people you don't know like your photo?  If you care that much, you really should take a closer look at priorities.  And if you're willing to have the experience through a screen just so you can repeat it later on, then, again, you need to look at priorities. 

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In any case, take a moment, experience your life and forget about everything else.  After all, an experience is only worth having if you're fully experiencing it.