Everyday there seems to be a steady
race towards the many things we want in life. Some we can easily win while some
we lose to. And in today’s day and age, it has become such a competitive and
cutthroat world especially with ease of access to anything and everything on
the web.
We’re all just quite busy speeding
up to get what we want, when we want them, and to be the first in everything
even if it means pushing others aside or stepping over some toes. We usually
hear about these achievements or blunders on social media, depending on our
vantage point.
Hashtag Nation
Social media plays a huge role and
will continue to play a huge role as a means of self expression for today’s
generation, the generation before us and the generations to come. Everyone is
constantly proclaiming happiness, achievements and affections through their
smartphones, tablets, GoPros, dashcams; through hashtags, fansigns, selfies and
life goals.
And it’s all good. It’s freedom of
expression, it’s expression of love, it’s love for technology and being
thankful for the many other blessings we receive. It’s love for self and self
rewards, for a job well done, for spending long hours in the office, for the
sacrifices made in order to get there, wherever your “there” is.
We all have many different things in
mind when it comes to happiness, life goals, success and other sorts of
accomplishments. We’re all so blessed and have so much to be thankful for that
we see posts about it online, every second and every minute we spend over the
internet. But amidst the hashtags, the fansigns, the selfies and online
statuses, let’s step back, take a minute from our fast-paced lifestyles and
really think sensibly of the things we value in our lives.
Butterfly Effect
It’s really just a mix of emotions
online, some happy, some sad, some angry, it’s anything and everything you can
find and express with seemingly unlimited liberty. It is freedom of choice, but
let’s all be reminded that we are not at all free from its consequences. Our
actions cause ripples across all oceans and impact all walks of life. It’s not
just about us; it’s about everyone else too.
As the 14th Dalai Lama put it, “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion, if
you want to be happy, practice compassion.” He also wisely put that, “Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if
you can't help them, at least don't hurt them. Be kind whenever possible. It is
always possible.”
There is always
more to things than it seems. Before all this technology and online
freedom, remember sincerity, kindness, remember inner happiness, respect
not just to our elders, but to our peers and let us not forget values.
Virtual and
Reality
Beyond social
media, there is so much more we can do. Amidst all the likes, the shares, the
comments, the hashtags, the follows and the reactions; we can always find time
for a personal and sincere face-to-face interaction and this remains paramount.
To those defied by distance, social media serves as a powerful tool. Otherwise,
we deserve more than just online affection and attention.
As connected as we
all appear online, we seem to be more disconnected as we’re too busy paying
attention to other people’s online statuses and posts than paying attention to
what we can actually do to nurture our potential and reach the height of our
true bliss.
We are Happiness
After all, happiness is the result of the things that we constantly do.
It all begins with habit and looking within ourselves outside Facebook, outside
Instagram, outside Twitter.
If we do the things that we are
passionate about, the things that make us truly happy, do the things that we
love, and love the things that we do, then, happiness finds us. All that’s left
for us to do is savor it and ultimately share it, because the one thing that’s
worth going viral online is #Happiness. This is all it takes to put a genuine
smile on all of our faces.
