I've been ignored a few times in the past couple months. Some of the ignorances have been committed by friends, some by work acquaintances and others romantically. The pride part of me thinks "I'm not the kind of person people ignore", the free spirit in me thinks "I could care less", and then the human part of me just gets bummed. How I react when someone doesn't get back to me, is usually a mixture of all three. To clarify, this isn't a cry for sympathy, more so a public digesting of an emotion.
I'm a pretty solitary dude. I enjoy silence immensely. But no one likes getting the busy signal when reaching out to people within your circle. In these situations, it's easy to take the cold-shouldering personal, but I'd rather just keep it fresh. You see, whether it's a co-worker, your Tinder match or seeing what amigos are up for drinks, you're better off hanging out with the people that are excited to hang out with you.
Along with this disdain of society, comes the "fear of missing out" or FOMO for all you acronym users. And the leading supplier of this FOMO is America's favorite past-time, social media. Many of us have been there, sitting at home scrolling through a social platform on the interwebs, and you see a happy, fun, better-than-your-situation picture of all your posse doing something that is right up your alley. That angst you feel rising in your gut, is the same set of emotions that an ignored text brings.
Naive and selfish aren't bad words. They've just been given a bad reputation for those of us who carry those qualities too often.
Now I'm not a doctor nor am I a psychologist, but I've found that making myself comfortable in my own bubble and ignoring the mainstream medias takes away some of the brief negative emotions described above. With television and social media filling a void these days, a lot of us have forgotten some of the habits and hobbies that we genuinely enjoy doing. Put down the phone and do something that requires brain activity. Make yourself too positively busy to worry about what the rest of the world is up to. Be a little selfish and naive. Feel good about it.
This seems old school because it is. I'm describing a lifestyle where people talk to and enjoy the folks in their presence. A scene where your amusement and gratification come from the story you're living instead of the attention you get on the internet. I'm not telling you to banish socializing online, but I am encouraging you to spend less time on there or maybe even giving it up for a few days. I know, crazy thoughts.
New in my life: The children are no longer hungry. Patchouli is a formidable scent. I quit checking Instagram at red lights.
Keep smilin'
#goAtLIFE
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