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Something to think about...

Becoming enlightened is but one gift that humanity owns  because we have educated brains and the willingness to allow ourselves to become open to new pathways is yet another gift because we are human...

It can happen in structured ways via schooling or via self discovery. It can be sneaky, subtle like stepping into your once favorite jeans only to find you can't button them or it can be as quick and dramatic as a tornado warning. No matter how it greets us we are presented with the choice of acknowledging the Ah Ha moment, you know, that spark when the lights come on or choosing to just let it all go by not giving it another thought...

I have had lots of slow passing time, day and night, through my recent shoulder replacement process of healing. Too much seat time for me particularly when I was unable to type or write anything, couldn't even scribble a signature. I was unable to focus my usual self into reading any of the books that held court with me on most days but I was able to hold my phone and pluck out a text or two which I appreciated. I was able to one finger scroll through endless and I mean endless screens of fake articles, real time happenings, from a new species of clam found in Australia, encountering Claude or other AI robotic minds covering my screen and then to a documentary on how the world got addicted to fried chicken. Any conceivable article to purchase can be pictured,  podcasts from anyone willing to speak into a microphone and videos of a plethora of self proclaimed human INFLUENCERS...It literally is developed to be continuous, never ending. For a visual learner/person like me my mind actually felt scattered…

I am now eight weeks into my surgery recovery and am able to type and write but only for short periods of time. What I have become enlightened about, for sure, is this...humans staring at their phones walking down the street, or driving 70 mph on the freeway, or sitting at a dinner table with other humans they care about, can't seem to sit in the bathroom without it and probably will not go to bed without tucking it in within arms reach may, I believe, have a problem.

I say this because I have experienced first hand in all my slow steady healing time that besides being tied to Velcro ( the name I gave my cumbersome sling) 24/7 I was always never an arms length away from my phone. In fact, when I had to go out and move about I would place my phone safely inside Velcro! Becoming aware of this I have decided I will put some energy into breaking this pattern, or habit or addiction. I asked myself, as I often do, if I was being controlled by this electronic intruder or was it controlling me...the answer was very important to me... I never want to be controlled by anyone and for sure by anything. Since spending my life teaching children of all ages I can not help but imagine the patterns, habits and addictions from computers, tablets, phones and now wrist watches and rings we have enabled our children to encounter and develop probably not even recognizing a problem as they move forward...to witness and reflect on this electronic invasion I can not help but be astonished that there are actually humans who still want to ban books...really?

The lights came on and left me with an aching glare...