Roll with me on this one, ‘kay??
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You’ve heard this one before, perhaps.
If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound??
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It sounds like a simplistic question and perhaps even a silly question, whether one sees the answer as “obvious” or not.
The truth is that this question, seen as a well-known thought experiment, can spark a discussion of observation vs. perception and science vs. philosophy. For example, if no one was there to actually hear the sound from the falling tree, then the answer would be NO – – since the scientific viewpoint says that sound is a vibration recognized by our senses by the ears. So, if no ears were there to hear the potential sound, then: No people = No Ear Drums = NOPE!!
But THEN it begs the question: can things exist without being perceived?? For example, if I were indoors and I could not see the moon in the night sky, would I be correct to say that the moon does not exist? Because I would not physically and literally be able to see it, so to my eyes, that would be accurate…👁👁
However, if I was to walk outside at night and look up, I could very well see the moon and acknowledge that it exists!
And same with the tree, right??
It can be said that a tree that falls to the ground would ABSOLUTELY make a sound, whether anyone was there to hear it or not. So then the answer would be YES, it would make a sound – – because we can infer that if we were indeed present for the falling tree, then we would definitely have heard it and/or felt the vibration from the thud…….and the debate could continue from there.
This “simple” question can utilize so many different scientific and philosophical theories!! And with each one, the different sides could be argued, based on how each one of us would perceive the same situation. It’s not so simple anymore.
Now let’s look at a present day example of this falling tree question:
If we don’t take a photo/selfie or post about a goal that we’re seeking or tweet about a dream that we’re chasing, do they actually exist???
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Cuz, you KNOW that if you don’t have media proof of yourself in photos or in words on Twitter/Facebook/Instagram/LinkedIn, then it can’t be proven and therefore must not be happening or have happened…..
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I’m just teasing ya, of course!!!!
Ahem….as much as I know how influential social media is and how addicting it is to want to capture “all of the moments/food pics/selfie poses/scenery/group fun/bizarre happenings” and post them for all the world to see.
It IS fun to get ‘likes’ and comments from friends, family, acquaintances, and perfect strangers, don’t get me wrong!! The instant connection and validation from others can be a huge motivating factor for us to keep going, to work hard, to showcase our life, to promote our business or job, and to be creative so that we have more material to post.
My next question, though, is: Who are we doing it for – – for other people’s ‘likes’ and approval or for ourselves? And the answer can be BOTH, of course, which is a natural gut-reaction response to this question. I say BOTH, too.
However, what would happen if social media disappeared and our phones completely stopped working for an unforeseen amount of time? Every single site and app got erased, the internet got wiped, our phones are now dead, and we are left with no way to take a photo, let alone post a photo anywhere. It is complete disconnection from any person on the planet besides those in our household, our neighbors, and those in our little corner of the world.
Did you just have an instant panic attack?? I know the feeling, like if we leave our phones at a forgotten location or forget our phones at home, and how we feel so lost and incomplete!! Imagine how we would feel with dead, inactive technology – – as if we fell back in time before smartphones and computers, where “social media” was flyers on a billboard and ads in the local newspaper. No more instant gratification from phones and computers, with the world at our fingertips.
Would we still be able to find that inner creativity, that motivation to reach our dreams, that strong work ethic towards our goals, and that appreciation for the parts of our life that we see as being “photo worthy”……if we were one of the few people who knew about it or could “see” it happening? And if we were the only ones who could enjoy it because there would no longer be the consideration of where to post it – – on IG or FB or Twitter or all of the above?
All we would have would be what’s right in front of us, without continuous regard for what other people might think (because we could only tell a select few) and there would be no way to capture our life and post it on a platform. Rather we would be “forced” to enjoy life with our senses, soak it all into our memory, and maybe take pictures with an actual CAMERA camera, and not a phone camera, that would be for our own keepsake. And maybe for showing the photos at a later time, with people, in-person….And That. Would. Be. IT.
Sharing our stories and interesting moments with the people we see, without being concerned by the number of ‘likes’ attached to our posts or without holding our breath for random people to comment on our material and impact whether we feel important, worthy, and seen or not….
With how heavy an influencer that social media is nowadays, can you imagine it just stopping abruptly like this?? And how each one of us would handle this situation.
No more scrolling through timelines and newsfeeds. No more Google. No more online shopping. No more World Wide Web. No more activity on phones and computers. We are all left to find ways to entertain ourselves, to listen to ourselves, and perhaps to see our lives in a different way because it would no longer be driven by social media.
🤔 Kinda crazy to think about, right? I mean, life without online shopping!!!! Is that even living????
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My main point is could we do the majority of LIFE all for ourselves and only for ourselves? Find that motivation within our own hearts. Give ourselves the pep talks to keep going and to work hard, especially when things get tough and unwieldy. Look to ourselves for love, acceptance, and approval before any other person. And find the things in our lives that make us wish we could hold onto those moments forever……and just appreciate them with every fiber of our being – – mind, body, and soul – – without distracting the moments with photos, tweets, and posts. Being fully present and releasing the idea that every thing we do requires a picture or a post as proof OR that these things need to be regularly/daily/hourly displayed or shown off to others.
Our experiences are real and raw and honest and our own individual perceptions….whether they are recorded or not. They are meaningful and captivating and special, photographed or not. And our efforts and actions and forward steps, most of all, should be recognized by ourselves, first and foremost, before anyone else comes into the picture.
And that means that we start to really SEE our own efforts and our actions as the main influencers and catalysts in our life. Valuing every tiny step forward towards our dreams and what brings us joy, regardless of anyone else’s views of positive or negative critiques. Realizing that we are the only ones who can be present in our life. So, like the “Yes” side of the tree falling question, whether anyone else is present for our accomplishments and forward momentum or not, WE, ourselves, can say that they ARE happening and that we are proud of each step that we take.
Because it is our own life and no one else is living it but us.
The tiny consistent action steps are what gets us to ANY destination. And waiting for huge firework displays and other people cheering for our big accomplishments in order to feel happy with and proud of ourselves….well, it tends to diminish all of the small and significant progress steps that we are and have been making and taking. It’s ALL important and the big stuff can’t happen without all of the small stuff happening first and in-between the big stuff. From this perspective, the small stuff could even be argued to be even more vital that the big stuff!!!
And this is true whether you are posting it on social media or not……🙃
I found this “list” of goals that an anonymous somebody had written and it is so fitting to what we are discussing today. I took it upon myself to add an “E” to an appropriate spot in this list but I assure you, it does not take away from the very important message:
The most important part of this list, in my opinion, besides “Smash the ShitE 😄 out of them,” of course: CLAP FOR YOUR OWN FREAKIN’ SELF!!!!!!!! Other people do not always need to be a part of our day-to-day and week-to-week victories. Celebrating ourselves for each step not only makes us feel good but it also provides that extra incentive to continue on. And to look forward to reaching that next mini step or ginormous milestone, wherever we are in the process.
Looking for validation and approval on social media from people we know and from strangers can only take us so far…because no one else is in our shoes, has traveled the life that we have, and therefore that can fully see the direction that we’re going. It is imperative to be aware of who we are asking for directions and opinions concerning our life’s path and what is meaningful to us.
With or without social media, our life is our life and it never NEEDS to be broadcasted in order for us to feel proud of our accomplishments, to feel worthy, to feel proud of where we are and who we are, and for us to want to live our life to the fullest. Using it as a mode of connection, marketing, and keeping people in the loop is one thing. NEEDING it in order to live our life and to feel good about our life…..that is something very, very different.
Because no one else may be there to witness our micro-accomplishments and to see what we see….or perhaps people have “seen” our micro-accomplishments on social media BUT maybe they discount our efforts, see them as meaningless, and/or refuse to give us any credit at all. In either circumstance, it DOESN’T MATTER. It doesn’t mean that our micro-accomplishments aren’t important or that they do not exist. WE are there to validate ourselves and to appreciate each and every step that we take and to own each and every choice that we make.
WE are living our lives and WE get the final say.
So, when trees fall down or if selfies fade away, we say YES to the existence of our being, of our goals, of our dreams, and of all of the millimeters of progress that we make, no matter who is or isn’t watching.
And clap for our OWN DARN SELVES and let the tree fall where it may!!!!!!!!!
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