I found this article called "5 reasons why marriage doesn't work anymore." I was really put out when I read the title. After I read the post, I still don't believe that marriages simply don't work anymore. I feel like that is a very immature thing to say, because any marriage has the capability to work. I did pull out these 2 pieces from the article that really struck me, though. I have such a hard time with social media and technology. I wrote a previous post about this and yes, I too am a victim. But when I read things like this, I am truly inspired to make changes.
-We're more connected than ever before, but completely disconnected at the same time.
Let's face it, the last time you "spoke" to the person you love, you didn't even hear their voice.
You could be at work, the gym, maybe with the kids at soccer. You may even be in the same room.
You told your wife you made dinner reservations ... through a text message.
Your husband had flowers delivered to your job ... through an app on his phone.
You both searched for furnishings for your new home ... on Pinterest.
There's no physical connection attached to anything anymore.
We've developed relationships with things, not each other. Ninety-five percent of the personal conversations you have on a daily basis occur through some type of technology. We've removed human emotion from our relationships, and we've replaced it colorful bubbles.
Somehow, we've learned to get offended by text on a screen, accusing others of being "angry" or "sad" when, in fact, we have no idea what they are feeling. We argue about this — at length.
We've forgotten how to communicate yet expect healthy marriages. How is it possible to grow and mature together if we barely speak?
Years ago, my grandmother wouldn't hear from my grandfather all day; he was working down at the piers in Brooklyn. But today, if someone doesn't text you back within 30 minutes, they're suddenly cheating on you.
You want to know why your grandmother and grandfather just celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary? Because they weren't scrolling through Instagram worrying about what John ate for dinner. They weren't on Facebook criticizing others. They weren't on vacation sending Snapchats to their friends.
No.
They were too preoccupied loving and respecting one another. They were talking to each other at dinner, walking with each other holding hands instead of their phones. They weren't distracted by everything around them. They had dreams and chased them together.
-Social media just invited a few thousand people into bed with you.
We've thrown privacy out the window these days.
Nothing is sacred anymore, in fact, it's splattered all over the Web for the world to see.
Everywhere we go, everything we do — made public. Instead of enjoying the moment, we get lost in cyberspace, trying to figure out the best status update, or the perfect filter.
Vacations are no longer a time to relax, but more a time to post vigorously. You can't just sit back and soak it all in.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with sharing moments of your life. I do it myself. But where do we draw the line? When does it become too much?
We've invited strangers into our homes and brought them on dates with us. We've shown them our wardrobe, drove with them in our cars, and we even showed them our bathing suits. Might as well pack them a suitcase, too.
The worst part about all this? It's only going to get worse.
Well, there you have it.
Countless times, I have been offended by a text message because the sender didn't use a certain punctuation mark or replied with a one word answer. I would automatically assume that their tone was negative if they didn't use 3 exclamation points or a smiley face! That is not how it should be! Human connections should not be replaced by things. It's so easy to let technology devoid us of emotion. Emotions are a beautiful thing. It is heart breaking to think that this may only get worse. I've been trying to make small changes in my life by spending less and less time on social media, especially in the presence of my loved ones. It feels good. It really does. I challenge you to do the same. Nobody wants to talk to someone who is only half there. What's the point?
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