In the quest to try and simplify my life, I have come to a few conclusions; conclusions that will hopefully allow me to be a better husband, father and person. Many of these conclusions revolve around eliminating the unnecessary things in life and focusing on what truly is most important. Eliminating or minimizing these distractions has allowed me to creatively think more efficiently, and stop and think more clearly. One of the largest distractions in our modern times is the advent of Social Media. I will take it a step further and say that the invention of the smart phone has been the single most societal changing distraction I have seen in my lifetime. A majority of us including myself have been sucked into a virtual world where we are constantly swiping, typing or pecking away at some bit of information that we feel is just ever so much more important than everything else that is going on around us. Just take a second each day and look around you and you will see for yourself that we have become a society dependent upon on these tiny little computers.
One of my favorite things to do when I am stuck at the airport or killing time between periods at my two daughters soccer or hockey games is watching people. We as a human race are rather interesting creatures, there isn’t a day that goes by where I don’t get a laugh at someone else's expense, let alone my own for that matter. What I have noticed over the last decade is you see less people actually interacting with one another, and more people staring into the screens of their smartphones or tablets. We as a society are now tethered to these mini computers everywhere, all the time. So much to the point that we are missing out on many wonderful things in nature and our surroundings. One could argue we are multitasking and maximizing our time, but I would argue that we are so fixated on replying to posts, liking other peoples pictures, checking out the latest gossip, or what happened on that last episode of “not reality tv”. The electronic juggernauts have created an obsessive compulsive society where humans have become so fixated and dependent on these devices and “whats going on in the world” that we all at times just can’t seem to put the damn things down.
In this digital aged created drama, the concept of real genuine human interaction and awareness of our surroundings has been thrown out the window and replaced only by a world where people have difficulty interacting with one another face to face, yet have all the courage in the world once behind that mini screen or keyboard.
Some use these devices and platforms to say whatever comes to mind without recourse. There is a counter culture that has been created as a result of social media where many have engineered a persona on false pretense. All one needs is an email account and a smart phone that takes a decent photograph and one can create the perception that they are something they truly are not, never mind having the platform to voice one’s opinions with little to no respect or recourse. Have at it, I’ll be on the water where the only thing scrutinizing my actions will be the species of fish that I am targeting.
I’m not going to lie, I desperately hope that social media is just another fad that will eventually fade off in time. I know the smart phone and other devices are cemented into culture, but you can choose to put it down. This is something that I have consciously been making a concerted effort to do more of; it’s simply not that important.
As a child, I grew up in a world without the smart phone, now we lose our mind and can’t leave the house without them. Almost as if we are being suffocated and can’t breathe if we can’t find our phones. Trust me when I say this, you can live without it, humans did for thousands of years before us. We now live in a society where these devices are commonplace. and our children know no different. Look around the next time your out there, more people are fixated on their screens rather than just completing a menial task such as grocery shopping (people in the grocery store are the biggest offenders).
Now, more often than not I make a conscious effort to leave my phone in the car when ever I go somewhere. Instead of leaving it on all day and being distracted by that next vibrating text or email, I simply shut it off. I used to leave my phone next to my bed at night as my alarm clock, but I found myself having difficulty putting it down. Instead of going to bed when I should have, I was fixated on all sorts of things that really weren’t that important as I scrolled my social media “feeds”, only to wake up the next morning exhausted after I finally went to bed. Simply put I began to realize a pattern, one which was making my attitude toxic as this device was changing my attitude. You can’t argue that electronics can alter behavior, I see it in my children when they get too much screen time, and I don’t think it is healthy.
My revelation occurred during our summer vacation to the Adirondacks. Once I realized what was going on, I immediately deleted my Facebook account. I sat there at the dinner table that morning sipping coffee scrolling through my feed rather than spending time interacting with my wife and kids. I am in the process of writing a new chapter in my life and I feel I could do much better job at it by eliminating the unnecessary distractions.
If people need to contact me, you all know how to, I will still maintain a small social media presence for the business through Instagram and a parent Facebook page (at least for now); but the personal pages are gone.
So in closing, If you are looking to purchase my flies, you know how to reach me, and in the spring you can book my services once again as a guide. And if you see me at one of the regional flyfishing shows, take a moment and say hello as I’d much rather speak with you in person and see how you’re doing than send an email or text.
One of the last things I posted to my wall on Facebook before I deleted my account was a rather compelling speech by Matthew McConaughey titled Absolute Motivation. This video resonated with me and was probably the catalyst to my aforementioned decision to disconnect a bit. I’ve posted this below and I hope that it resonates with you too. Have a great day and good luck on the water.