The Devil and Your Smartphone

Your smartphone is the devil. There — I said it. And I realize just how crazy it sounds, but before you write me off as a total “cray-cray”, hear me out.

Your mind and your heart are the ringleaders of this show called life. But how well this show goes depends on how closely the two are connected, for it is the interchange between the mind and the heart that allows you to live a balanced life.

The key is to get them to connect. And yet, metaphorically speaking, the pathway between the heart and the mind is the most clogged artery in your body. It’s a modern dilemma: So many people are walking around with this crucial connection practically severed, and as a result, I see droves of people who are depressed, disinterested, or altogether checked out. Surely you have seen the recent posts about “Celebrity Suicide”. It pains me to even type those words as if there is a status to the epidemic of souls who want out of this dimension.

But back to this disconnect which is due to many factors. The cause could be anything from negative energy, loss, stress, fear, (all related) or — the most loathsome — technology.

Don’t get me wrong — technology is a wonderful TOOL that allows mankind to do great work. But no longer can we categorize alcohol, sex, drugs, as sole causes for very destructive human behavioral addictions. Technology is just as culpable. Tech companies, thankfully, have finally admitted to this subversive power, that software is being developed to self-monitor the amount of time one spends on one’s phone — categorized to measure social media use as well as constructive/business related use with the hopes of helping to curtail our time spent on devices.

Fat chance. I am an optimist however, so will hold out for the results of this new measuring software. Sadly, we are a species of constant stimulation — seemingly only growing deeper into the need of this very unsatisfying stimulation.

Folks are waking up however. I’m hearing more and more of beings “signing off” to social media platforms, or at least putting them to constructive use. I do not need to define that use. I’m resting on the innate intelligence we have to understand and define.

I’m no stranger to this “addiction”. After all, you’re reading this piece (hopefully) online, so there is a need/application. Supports the meaning of the word “tool”. I have spent countless hours needlessly scrolling, watching video, posting-I’ve even fallen asleep at the device wheel. Crazy.

I do not own a TV-personal choice, but that hasn’t stopped me from using my mini tv in the palm of my hand or on my lap. What’s the lesser of the two evils?

Technology’s downfall is that it has become the focus of our daily lives. While devices allow us to connect anywhere in the world and messages in a millisecond, they also amp up our left-brain abilities. Our left brain is responsible for analytical thought and logic. So our left brain strengthens, we become conditioned to process information rapidly — whether it’s FB, IG, Twitter, the news, weather reports, or emails.

This may sound great (after all, who doesn’t want to make their brain stronger?), but in fact this skew towards the left brain is to our own detriment. As our left brain grows stronger, our right brain — the side that’s responsible for creative, outside-the-box thinking is atrophying.

But why does this matter?

It matters because it has EVERYTHING to do with our ability to operate in God’s world. As we become more and more hooked on our gadgets, we grow distant from our higher power, our Source. And that’s because our relationship with God dwells within the right brain.

The notion makes inherent sense, but to prove my point, let’s play a game of word association. For thirty seconds I want you to list everything that comes to mind when you hear the word brain.

Chances are, some of the words and images that popped into your head include any of the following: thinking, gray matter, computer(ha!), black and white, logic, calculating, etc.

Now list the words that come to mind when you hear the word heart.

Maybe like me, you’ve come up with love, warmth, movement, alive, beating and more.

See the difference?

Your right brain IS of the heart. It is linked to that deeply spiritual part of you that connects to your Source. Your left brain is of the mind. It controls the analytical side of you that is necessary to survive in this temporal world. We need both. How purely brilliant our Creator gave us both capacities. Beyond human explanation. A mystery. But we also have the will to choose how to choose to use both.

Fact is, technology is distancing us from the heart, and consequently the Divine. And that’s why I say the devil is in your smartphone.

Humorous thought, but when you compare the line outside of an Apple store to get the latest IPhone model versus the line outside a house of worship — the humor behind the comment thins.

This light-hearted analogy comes with a serious message. The more we separate ourselves from our SELF (Divine within), the more of a stranger we become in a strange land. This temporal realm has a spiritual realm — both need to be visited. Don’t waste precious, unretrievable time on the left side solely.

Stop trolling, comparing, FOMO-ing, posting photoshopped pics. What the hell!! — at the end of life does all that shit matter? Think of it this way — your house is on fire, and you’re painting your kitchen. Are you going to continue-or get out???!!! Forgive-getting a little charged.

What matters is YOU and YOUR life. Your Calling, your health, your peace, your love (not despair) of this phenomenal world.

Don’t let technology disconnect you from the Source. Disconnect technology and reconnect with you and the Source within you. :)

The moral of this story — if you’re waiting to hear what you life has in store for you, put down your phone. Your call awaits, but it will never come through your smartphone. Instead look within, and listen deeply. Your call will be answered.

Love,

Patrice