I got bored, opened a new Word document and this text just happened.
The other day I took a bus to work, just like I did every day.
I sat down near the window, just like I did every day.
A person I've seen at least a dozen times on this very bus sat next to me, just like a familiar face did every day.
I reached into my pocket for the earphones and plugged them in, just like I did every day.
I turned on the radio, playing the music I don't at all enjoy, just like I did every day.
I then proceeded to open Facebook and began scrolling like a madman, just like I did every day.
Nothing interest, like always, so I opened Instagram and began scrolling again, just like I did every day.
Reddit followed soon after and when that didn't do it, I began reading old text messages, just like I did every day.
At some point it hit me.
I was listening to music I didn't like,
I was browsing social media I didn't enjoy browsing,
I was doing everything in my power to try and not be bored.
Yet I was.
So was I really trying my best not to be bored?
Or was I trying my best to stay in my comfort zone?
As mentioned, the person sitting next to me was always a familiar face.
Yet I never said hi.
Instead, I pulled out my headphones and phone and isolated myself.
Yes. I was good at isolating myself.
Instead of striking a conversation and potentially making a friend, or an acquintance at the very least,
I bubbled myself into the world of social media where I talked with people miles away instead of people right next to me.
I realised then and there that technology and all the gadgets and social media made us drift further away than ever,
all while sitting so close to each other our shoulders were touching.
I looked at the person next to me and they were doing the exact same thing I was.
Listening to music they probably didn't like,
pointlessly browsed social media, scrolling furiously with their thumb,
and occasionaly wrote a text or two to a random person they probably didn't even like.
I took out my headphones and greeted the person sitting next to me.
Surely enough, they didn't hear me because of the headphones, but I was determined to talk to them.
I tapped their shoulder to get their attention and they pulled the earphone out of their ear.
"Yeah?" They asked, visibly irritated.
"Hi."
"Do we know each other?"
"Not yet, but we sit next to each other often and I just thought to strike up a conversation. I'm @lenapena by the way, and you?" I continued and extended my arm toward them for a handshake.
"@random12345, nice to meet you. Listen, I'm in the middle of something here, but feel free to add me on Facebook and we can talk some there." And they plugged their earphone right back into their ear before I could even reply.
Needless to say, they went back to pointlessly browsing social media.
Social.
Media.
Social.
It sickens me to see how far we've steered away from actual human contact and rely solely on the so called "social" media.
We are physically closer than ever, but mentally ever further apart.