In the newspaper this week I read that over eight days three tourists had fallen to their deaths at the Grand Canyon while taking selfies. It seems amazing to me that someone would lose their lives over a photograph. That they'd be so unaware of their surroundings that they'd not realize that they were risking their lives for a bit of ego gratification.
Later I found myself wondering if anyone had recovered their cell phones and if they'd captured the photo they were trying to get before they fell to their deaths. Even more morbidly, I was wondering if their families were going to end up with the photos and what they would think about loved ones who took such risks.
A primary thing that we learn in mindfulness meditation is to be aware of our ourselves. And sometimes I'm amazed that someone is unaware of the danger their behavior puts them in when they're in a state of self-absorption – almost as if they're hypnotized. During the past month on more than one occasion, someone has walked across the street in front of me while texting, completely unaware of the traffic flowing around them.
It's not unusual to be sitting in a restaurant or other public place and see a group all at the same table, each staring at their cell phones, either answering or reading messages, oblivious to the others at the table that they are supposedly socializing with. While I myself am guilty of paying attention to my phone at the wrong times, it's something that I'm aware of and try to avoid unless it's an emergency situation.
What were once tools of communication and functionality have morphed into the focus of life for many of us. While I think this technology will never go away, I wonder how much of the world around us and the people around us are we missing out on? I can imagine a world where a tiny screen will dominate our time to the point where we miss out on the real life that is at our fingertips.
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