Live In The Moment. Don't Let Your Camera Rob You.

Cameras.  I have a love/hate relationship with them.  Cameras are a great invention that helps us capture precious moments and save memories, but since the advent of phone cameras, they have taken a sad turn.  Cameras have become so prevalent that people often miss "the moment."  Now, people are using their cameras (phone or otherwise) to take a picture of everything.  No matter what is going on, someone just HAS to take a "selfie."  People are so busy taking pictures that they have put a barrier between themselves and actually feeling what is going on around them.  They are no longer living in the moment and being a part of it, but recording it without any emotional attachment to it.

What is the point of recording it if it will not touch you deeply when you later reflect on it.  Better yet, if you take so many pictures, will you even look at those pictures again?  I know some people who have literally tens of thousands of pictures.  Will you even take the time to reflect on those experiences you so meticulously recorded?  Will you even remember what was happening around you when you look that picture?

I am not saying that cameras should be done away with.  I believe cameras can be a very valuable tool.  Instead, use discretion.  If you travel with me or check something new out with me, you will rarely see me take pictures.  I am picky about when I take a photo.  Instead of being trapped behind a screen, I want to feel, see, hear, touch, and be one with what is going on around me.  I want to be fully invested in the experience rather than worrying about tool.  I don't want to miss a thing.  I want to feel the energy of my surroundings pulse through me and let awe overtake me.  These experiences are then burned into my memory.  Only if I find something particularly fascinating will I take a photo.  For me to take a photo is to memorialize an experience.  It only takes one photo to bring a flood of memories and feelings back to me, allowing me to bask in the feelings and experiences once again.  I don't need to record every second and my life is fuller because of it.

Do you have a camera addiction?  I challenge you to become more selective with your pictures and let yourself live in the moment, rather than recording it.