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IRL Minus VR

There’s this girl who sits at a table by the side of the road, presumably selling something, who’s on my route to and from work each day.

I’ve seen her maybe 6-8 times in the last week or two and still have no idea what she’s selling.

Why haven’t I stopped to ask?

Well, to be honest, she doesn’t look like she wants to be bothered. She usually has her hood up, she’s slouched in her chair mostly hiding under the table, eyes glued to her phone, there’s no signage, and she rarely looks up to see if anybody is even slightly interested…

…Mind you, she doesn’t look to be any older than 13.

And yet, something about this scene resonated with what I see often in modern society.

People hiding, mostly in the comfort of their homes with their windows shut, slouched in their chairs playing keyboard warrior, eyes glued to screens, no clear indication of who they are/ what they’re doing with their lives/ how they’re trying to make a difference, rarely looking up to see what’s happening IRL when they’re away from that virtual reality (VR), waiting for someone or something to happen to them for the better.

There’s no question that there are countless, phenomenal opportunities that can be accessed IRL via VR.

But, what most modern day people seem to forget, is that there are countless, phenomenal opportunities that can be accessed IRL minus VR, too.

Published inArchivesBeing PresentLiving Well