It can be understood as an act of rebellion, of going against the grain, of not respecting norms or the law.
But not all disobedience leads to harm, damage, or a wrongdoing.
Every day we are challenged to disobey standards, norms, and what is “established” as what should be done, thought, or left unsaid.
These days, human interactions—and I mean purely human ones—are becoming increasingly rare. When I speak of human interactions, I mean those that take place between two or more people in the same place or in close proximity, where they are looking each other in the eye. A dynamic is established when we stand before another being who is just as fragile on the inside as we are.
He may even seem like the biggest ruffian, or even a scoundrel, but at his core he was born pure, without malice, and with the eternal energy and persistence to achieve happiness.
Today, we often—if not most of the time—connect with the people closest to us through non-physical, face-to-face communication. Phone calls, video calls, metaplanets, or metauniverses—or whatever you want to call them… I don’t think technology shouldn’t exist. Not at all. It’s a true blessing that humanity has at its disposal the ability to bridge distances, making possible something that would have been completely impossible less than a century ago.
To pick up a personal device so small it fits in a pocket, and be able to hear the voice and see the image of someone who may be more than 20,000 kilometers away (source)
We cannot, however, consider forms that are not technologically “advanced” to be worthless, or even useless… A myriad of layers and interactions occur between the two bodies—not only in physical terms, but also in terms of knowledge and nonverbal language. There is a whole depth of signals, postures, gestures, words, and ideas that are conveyed and that contribute to the connection and interconnection that magically occurs at every moment.
Every conversation we have in life is unique. The topic may be the same, as may the people involved, and even the place where the conversation is taking place. But the moment in which it occurs is invariably different. If a conversation seems to be taking a less pleasant turn, let’s have the courage to replay it in our minds and consider the various possibilities, anticipating moments of tension or disagreement that might arise in the actual interaction.
Let’s learn to break the norm of congratulating someone solely through a message. If possible, let’s break social norms and try to be more present—more face-to-face.
Image by Alexas_Fotos from Pixabay
Original text written by @xrayman in Portuguese and translated with DeepL.com (free version)
