Many years back, we were vacationing in Mount Shasta and we went boating on the lake. The beauty of those blue waters with the backdrop of the celestial mountains was simply mesmerizing. I was so thrilled that I took my phone camera and began clicking away.
My wise daughter asked me why I was clicking pictures instead of just enjoying the scene. I replied, I wanted to save the memory. (The truth was also that I wanted to share the memory)
On her suggestion, I kept away my phone and was simply present with the majesty of the mountain and the waters. The effect was electric. No picture could have captured the beautiful feeling I felt then.
Many of us allow our choices to be dictated by, ‘What others think about me’.
We want ‘them’ to think good about us and so we feel the need to show off our talents, our achievements, our vacations, our children, our knowledge.
The social media industry prospers as we continue to give more and more importance to ‘what others think about me’.
But if we sit down for a bit, take a deep breath and allow ourselves to be honest, we know that when we really feel good, we do not need to capture that memory, we do not need to show off or articulate it even.
We are content simply feeling good.