Our world is evolving very rapidly. Some of it is great, and other things really aren’t. We live in a world that has the same basic needs of a thousand years ago, food, warmth, shelter; but also is changing so rapidly with technology, that the means to obtaining those things has diversified greatly.

Technology has greatly accelerated this change, and some of this technology has bettered our way of life, has given us more time to pursue other things, has given us a better standard of living with less effort. But some of this accelerated change is starting to damage our society.

We live in a world where we can no longer believe everything we see, especially if it’s on a screen or device. AI has gotten so good at generating images, videos, voice, manipulating even real videos to reach a sought after conclusion, that it is becoming increasingly difficult to believe anything that comes across a screen.

The problem that I am seeing though is that most people aren’t super skeptical of what they are viewing. At least, there are so many things that get shared on social media that aren’t real, that people have started believing they really are real. I see on almost a daily basis, people getting upset about “footage” of whatever, and half the time it’s not even correct, probably more than half the time. Or, it’s cut and snipped to only show what fits the narrative, and when you get digging into what really happened, you realize it is not even close to what it seemed to be.

But, people are making decisions based on this false information. They are treating others they come in contact with based upon this false information and the narrative that went along with it. They are mocking, scorning, and in some cases hurting others because of what they think they know.

I’m not even talking about Republican or Democrat, left or right, it is happening all across the board. It seems like it’s open season to believe whatever, and then to ridicule anyone who sees it differently regardless of whether it’s based in reality and truth or not. This has been a fascinating thing to sit back and watch, and I don’t think anyone is immune to the effects.

Consequently, this has made me increasingly skeptical of too many people. I love people, I love being around people, I love going to events and sharing ideas. I don’t mind disagreeing with people even, as long as we can sit and have a civil conversation and share ideas, maybe even solve problems that affect our little piece of this earth. But I am more and more skeptical.

So, what is the solution? I think love. I think if we could genuinely see others the way that God sees them, we would have more compassion, we would have more ability to listen, we would have more willingness to see things from other people’s perspectives, even if we don’t agree with them. I think we could solve problems together, in a synergistic way that helps everyone involved. But we have to be willing to stop, to jump off this train that our society is on. We have to be willing to help, be kind, listen to listen, share, hear, and really see those around us.

I have a lot of work to do on my part, and I think one of the biggest things I can do is to reduce my screen time. I don’t get on my devices a lot, but I do find myself aimlessly scrolling occasionally. I also find myself judging, getting frustrated with people, and then being irritated. But, when I avoid my devices, I find myself being more kind in person, more compassionate in person, more willing to share, care, listen to, and help others.

I am grateful for the good technology we have, for the way it has blessed my life. But I can do a better job of utilizing that technology as well so that I am not so skeptical of the people I come in contact with.

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