Is technology the real enemy?

Not too long ago, life was a couple of inches simpler than the life we all live today. Not only are we facing big changes in the world politically, we are observing a continuous advancement in technology. With Brexit, we can struggle on through together, though it hurts to know how more difficult it will be for us students. As for Trump, knowing if he will destroy the world is inevitable, but when? Right now, the world is just becoming darker in a number of different ways. That’s right – there’s the solar eclipse! But, seriously, terror attacks are happening more frequently and remind us of how shameful a portion of humanity is. While these are gradually executing across Europe, we also have climate change further down the queue. On the other hand, with Trump’s declination of the Paris agreement, there is a chance for climate change to skip that queue! The world only seems to be getting worse, despite all the good things we have too.

Technology…

In general, technological advancements in our societies have had a good impact on the world. Starting with the creation of the mobile phone. Now we can traverse the world with a more portable first-aid kit, arcade and telephone all in one. Next, Apple Watches: humanity’s finest creation yet. Technology has even catalysed the rate of scientific discoveries being made! Everyday, we are seemingly approaching a revolution, which will allow humans to journey through space. But before all that, we have artificial intelligence! Those creepy, humanoid robots that will make our lives “a lot easier” as they begin to replace our labour and look after us.

Here’s the thing. Who needs all of this?

I was on my phone earlier, swiping through numerous applications, and I suddenly realised how much time I waste using it each and every day. Sometimes I actually open Facebook or Twitter and then I instantly close it – again and again. What kind of habit is that? A habit that no longer should exist.

In my opinion, we have been groomed by our technological devices too much, to the point we take them for granted. When was the last time you paused and thought how amazing it is that these glorious inventions exist? Technology should remain exclusive, instead of insistently being necessary tools for us to use all the time. However, mobile phones are very, very useful since they provide us security. So, why do they now have smart features? Why does the entertainment factor override the initial purpose of a mobile phone? Technology is advancing, but it’s not advancing the right way. It may make sense to a lot of people that the more we are impressed by something, the better it is. Although, we only need to be impressed by simple things that keep us alive – and that’s that.

The strange thing about confidence.

Hello!

Before I dive into the strange thing about confidence, I just want to apologise for my recent inactivity. I could argue that the tagline of this blog is a reason for my lack of content. However, I really do want to try and maximise the little time I have to blog on here. As soon as September starts, my time will be more limited, so I really have to persevere and get as much posts out there as I can.

Now, onto the topic of today’s discussion.

I want to write about confidence. We all know that confidence is a positive word, which can also be manipulated to describe someone. “That person is so confident!”. “I am confident this is the right answer”. “No, I’m not really a confident person”. Confidence is such a big word that is discreetly omnipresent in every day life. It has common associations with doing a risky task, or having the guts to do something uncomfortable, yet beneficial. Being confident is good. It helps you a lot in life if you have confidence in not only yourself, but others!

So, if confidence is good, does that mean not being confident is bad?

I would describe myself as an individual who can be confident in most situations, however my general behaviour is shy. I have confidence to succeed, to speak and to live, although I am not perceived to be one of those confident people you hear from the other side of the house. I’m not loud.

I have noticed that the loudest people in the world are the ones who appear to succeed often. Some are even more likeable than quieter people. I get why being confident grants you these attributes, but I do find it peculiar that quieter people are more often than not the least popular and likeable people.

In the past, I have been a very shy person at my school. I used to be afraid of putting my hand up due to the inevitability of getting an answer wrong. I never used to speak much and still to this day, I find it difficult to socialise with certain people. I’m not really shy now, since I am able to perform on stage without any nerves. However, I am actually a quiet person who prefers to listen instead of speaking. In my opinion, that’s fine. I don’t think I’m being impolite; it’s more polite to listen, in fact. Nevertheless, I am still an introvert who finds it difficult to make friends.

Here’s the strange thing.