If you’ve ever found yourself musing on the meaning of life, look no further than what I’m about to say; we exist so that the universe can experience itself. That’s it, that’s the big secret, we need not operate on any other foundation other than this from now on.
But here’s what’s so tragic about this ordeal; we are, as far as we can tell, the only species capable of grasping such a secret, and we also happen to be the only species capable of taking something so cosmically affirming, and bastardizing it to a degree that not even the greatest comedians in history could pen.
We know this because TikTok‘s @mariacortner recently took to the platform to air an embarrassing memory in which, while filming the gorgeous view she happened upon during a morning run and therefore not paying attention to where she was going, she collides rather spectacularly with a pole, complete with the most satisfying sound effect you’re probably going to hear all month.
In other words, rather than soaking in the nutritious satisfaction of witnessing her surroundings, Maria, at the time, thought it better to prove to everyone else that she was in the vicinity of such a sight; her concern lay not with having an experience, but in proving to others that such an experience was (allegedly) being had, and she was properly bonked for it.
That’s not to say that Maria, or anyone else who takes to capturing every moment on their smartphones, aren’t allowed to enjoy things, but the point here is exactly that; why not just enjoy things? According to Psychology Spot, experiencing the world through screens causes us to emotionally detach from the moment and from ourselves, and there’s a psychological switch that occurs when we take photos and videos for the sake of posting to social media; when we do this, we take on the role of a more external observer, and detach even further from ourselves.
Then again, for all we know, it was precisely that inadvertent meeting with the pole that spurred Maria on to share this with the world in the first place, so who’s really to say what her attitudes about social media are? Nevertheless, we’d all do well to implore ourselves to stop focusing on capturing every moment with a machine, and instead capturing them with our hearts; at the very least, we’ll be at much less risk for a concussion.
