Information is such a large part of our lives. We seem to depend on information nowadays even more than our ancestors did centuries ago. No wonder, one of the best descriptions given to our generation is the ‘information age’.
Without information, we feel crippled and a little left out, which is by the way one of the greatest fears of the youth second only to the fear of public speaking. All the fuss and hype about information although needful has not reflected in the quality and usability of information out there. Consequently, even though there are tons of information on any given topic, it’s only a few that really solves our problems. And what about the rest? They simply give us more of what we don’t want.
Let’s embark on an exciting journey of imagination… Imagine that you’ve been invited to a festive gathering which is highly patronized by the people in your imaginative world. You arrive at the event sharply dressed and sparkling with all the jewelry you can think of. Perhaps, you’ve got a statement to make, an impression to create or some influence to win with the thousands that attend the event.
⛔ This article is an excerpt from Adrenaline Youth Magazine Issue 2
Click the link below to view and download your free copy
As in any sophisticated event, the whole gathering is decentralized into little interest groups. Just in the middle of the hall, you can see a group of lawyers talking about the recent trial of a serial killer, discussing all the ins and outs of the case. At the back of the hall, near the well decorated table with all your favorite delicacies, there were some mums discussing possible recipes they’ll try after the event. Several other groups including the sports enthusiasts and the gossips- who are obviously discussing your glamorous apparel- are also well in the action. At this stage, don’t rush off to join any of these groups, at least not yet. There’s still a lot to learn in this imaginative adventure as a disinterested bystander, simply observing but not participating.
Realize as a bystander how that although you are in one big hall for a single event, there are different forms and kinds of information being traded. You can have information on sports, food, legal matters and pretty much on every topic with some exaggerations too (can you guess the group where exaggerations would mostly be
traded?). If you’ve got multiple interests and have those interests represented at the event, then that’s fine. But realize at this point your limitation- you have just one body and you aren’t omnipresent. So definitely, you’ve got to join one group at a time to create some social network. Pause for a minute here… do we really do that in our real lives? Do we even recognize this limitation?
Perhaps, this is one reason why we are mostly confused…ever hearing, ever talking but never coming to the place of creating meaningful networks. When we are with one group at the event, our ears usually scout all around the hall hoping to hear something new, something exciting. But we usually miss the simple fact that right where we are, new things are being communicated. They might not be exactly what we expect, but they are new nonetheless. So why does that happen? Why do we keeping looking around at the other groups with envy even though we are in good company?
This may sound somewhat familiar to the student that is always wondering why they are unfortunate in their programmes of study but others are having a blast in theirs. A little interrogation may show that there are several others in the groups we envy who also have an eye of envy for other groups. Isn’t that enough to show that it has more to do with us and our perceptions than others and our circumstances?
Maybe we just switch off from the communication probably thinking “Oh, I’ve heard that before” and then embrace a
new thought ” I wonder what the others are discussing, I’m sure it’s more interesting than this one”. At that point where we are lost in those thoughts, it’s hard if not impossible for us to derive any
pleasure from interacting with our group members.
Such is life, my friend, thoughts get in the way of pretty much everything. They are like filters and they inadvertently determine our experiences although it may feel otherwise. We like to blame the group members and the subject of discussion but really it’s about our present thinking. This is some real power we have here. It basically means no one can control your experience, except you and you do that via thoughts. It’s a sacred consciousness and I hope this bit of information I’ve shared with you will help you and not give
you more of what you don’t want.
Restpiration 