Airplane Mode

You know that moment on the plane where everyone is frantically sending their last text, picture, or making one more phone call? Those precious minutes right before the overly sweet air hostess informs you that all devices must be in airplane mode? At that moment the panic of an idea sets in; what if someone is trying to contact me and can't? 

Human beings have always been a group species. However, with technological advancements, I believe we have overexerted the size of our tribes. This growth makes me ask, what do we owe to people who aren't relevant in our lives? When the plane lands and you slide the airplane mode off, who is notifying you?  

As my, "friends" numbers climbed on social media, I felt my true self close off. Claustrophobic, I had to do something about it; I reevaluated who was truly apart of my life. I began by leisurely cutting the fat; I went through all my social media and erased people I didn't know. That helped. Kind of. Instead of a post by the minute; it was a new post by the--two minutes. I looked even harder; I asked, who have I spoke to this month?  You?  Nope, delete.  You?  Nope, delete. In the end, it was a rude awakening. I am not as popular as I thought.

I hope someday to float through life on airplane mode. The people in my life need to be face to face acquaintances; not someone I know through updates on my phone. I don't want to come across harsh, but how do I think for myself if I allow influences in from every direction? Like a ship at sea; I must find the strength to control what pushes me around. I aim to eliminate the crosswind and form a tribe that comes to my aid. I promote to reduce social media. If you can not separate yourselves, I challenge you to drastically thin the ranks of your tribe.

#socialmedia #selfhelp #airplanemode