In this digital age of the Internet, social media and advanced cell phone technology, it’s no wonder that any of us are ever really alone anymore.
Even when we find ourselves at home or in the car without another human being present, we still aren’t truly in solitude.
Think about it. We always have the radio in reach for instant chatter, the TV to turn to for some mindless viewing and the Internet for endless surfing and poking around. Oh and then there’s our beloved cell phones, which I like to call “adult pacifiers.”
And don’t forget the newspapers, the newsletters, the magazines and books … the fliers, the pamphlets and the handouts – all waiting for us to pick them up so we can absorb someone else’s ideas, someone else’s thoughts, likes, dislikes and preferences.
When was the last time that you were truly alone? When was the last time that you stopped to hear yourself think?
“Well, Stephanie,” you say. “It just so happens that I went walking yesterday ALL BY MYSELF. For 30 minutes.”
Wonderful. That’s a good first step. But did you listen to your iPod, text a friend or talk on your phone during those 30 minutes of so-called “alone time?”
This is where my point comes full circle. We aren’t truly alone any more. And that’s the problem.
For it’s in the silence that we are able to tap into our well of creativity - the infinite flow of thoughts and ideas unique to us and only us. When we make the conscious effort to periodically block out the endless slew of outside information and influences, we force ourselves to rely on our own heart, mind and soul for inspiration.
And the only way to do that is to unplug once in a while and listen to yourself think. In silence. In the murky stillness. In a lone state of being.
This might scare you at first, but that’s okay. We all need time to adjust to being with only ourselves and not a soul more.
Oh and when you do decide to disengage – even if it is only for 30 minutes – remember to leave the cell phone behind.
