Surveying pretty much any public scene, and you’ll see a crowd of people, most of whom are looking at their smartphones. This is true even in social situations, and even when people are ostensibly hanging out with each other.
(Two people. Two phones. One table. No talking.)
Everyone’s a little socially awkward, I know, and putting your nose in your phone is easy to do. In fact, it’s almost unconscious.
For me, I don’t really have that excuse. I mean, I could read some texts, and delete some old ones (my phone is constantly running out of space in that regard), but aside from playing the demo games that are on my phone (36 seconds of Bejeweled, 80 seconds of UNO, 14 pieces of Tetris) there’s not really much to do.
And I appreciate that.
Because I’m forced me to look up and around. Even if I have no one to talk to, even if I’m wildly uncomfortable, even if I have no idea what I’m doing there.
My body language is in effect telling the world that I am open. I look more approachable.
More importantly, I feel different. When I show an openness to the world, I feel more open too. Being open means that I allow things to happen.
Being one of the only people to look up in a sea of people looking down is like being able to see things that no one else sees, not unlike pretending to be asleep so you can listen in on conversations.
You don’t need to ditch your smartphone to do this. You can just put it away.
And look up. Look around. Be present in your environment.
Give it a try. It’s always a little uncomfortable, but it gets easier with time.
And who knows, maybe you’ll find someone else in the crowd who is also looking up and around. Wouldn’t you want to be open for that?
If you try this, I’d love to hear about your experience below.
