We talk a lot about dependence.... Let's approach the subject more from the side of independence. We don't see ourselves as dependent on electricity because we have gained control of it. It increases our possibilities tenfold and gives us many more advantages than if we did without it. The same thing can be said about digital technology. The only problematic addiction is rather on the side of our psyche.
Psychological mercenaries have pointed out all the human flaws that can lead to addiction to the reinforcement offered by digital. Social networks have all but eliminated the notion of boredom, but in many cases, this boredom has been replaced by a certain mal de vivre, by bouts of well-being and despair, emotional roller coasters, isolation, an insatiable need for recognition or conformity to models. On the other side of the screen, directing oneself is a demanding profession if one wants to make a living from it and hardly better for one's personal equilibrium.
Arriving to do without anyone's approval, to recognize what is good and right without having to be told, to develop one's interests for one's own reasons, without external goals like measuring the number of subscribers, are the manifestations of one's independence. It is about becoming and remaining independent while being happy and connected to the world, without disconnecting from the close reality, that of the neighborhood, family, maintenance, meals, others.
The ordinary does not make the headlines of algorithms but forms the fabric of our lives on which the rest can be lived. Teachers are in a good position to communicate this.
Good reading
Denys Lamontagne - [email protected]
Illustration: Depositphotos - sangoiri
