Influence
There are a lot of things that influence our lives. Technology, religion, politics, economics, music, and media are all ways our lives are influenced daily. Our news feed on Facebook dictates what we are exposed to in our social circles. Our cell phone notifications alert us to new emails and direct messages. Before we get out of bed, we are already media saturated. Not to mention, the radio programming we listen to during our morning commute, or the billboards we see on the way to work. We are unconsciously being manipulated. We have brand aversions created by subliminal marketing. All these things leave an impression on us. We must be mindful of what we allow to influence us. We must deliberate in what and whom we allow in our sphere of influence.
Interest
The year is 1995. The New York hip hop scene is blowing up. Biggie Smalls aka Notorious B.I.G dropped his LP "Ready to Die" the fall of the previous year. The single "Big Poppa" peaks at number six on the Billboard charts. Every hip hop head from New York to Miami memorized the lyrics to this anthem. It was an ode to overweight lovers everywhere, that dripped of confidence and swag. One of my favorite lines was, "ask what your interests are, who you be with, things to make you smile, what numbers to dial, you gon' be here for a while, I'm gon' go call my crew, you go call your crew, we can rendezvous at the bar around two."
The year is 2017. It's been 20 years since Biggie's death. The music scene has changed drastically since 1995. Love songs are sexual innuendos. Gender is fluid. Trump is president, and we have little interest in anything. Relationships don't exist. They are situationships. Courtship is a thing of the past, and chivalry is almost dead. When was the last time someone asked you what you were interested in? When was the last time you spent hours on the phone instead of sending a text or a snapchat? When was the last time you wrote a letter instead of sending an email? Technology has its advantages, but it has changed the way we communicate. We have replaced nicknames with handles. We have substituted quality time for FaceTime. We have simplified our existence to 155 characters or less. We have lost interest in each other.