How to be happy: 'Savoring your smartphone'

The flower in the top image is an 'apple'.
Its flower language is 'choice'.

Even when buying apples at the supermarket,
I find myself choosing,
wondering if I should pick a red one,
or a large one.

Today, I thought about that kind of 'choice'.

The other day,
I was on the train,
and I suddenly looked around.

Almost everyone was looking at their smartphones.
Of course, I am one of them.

Looking at a smartphone itself,
is not a bad thing at all.

Some people might be reading books,
and others might be in touch with someone.

But,
I think there are also many people,
who are looking at it 'just because'.

On another day,
there was a pair sitting at the next table in a restaurant.

I don't know if they were friends,
or lovers.

Even though they were eating together,
both of them were looking at their smartphones.

There was almost no conversation.

It might be none of my business,
but I thought,
'What a waste'.

They had someone to eat with right in front of them,
and delicious food too.

Even so, I myself,
have done the same thing.
So, I cannot say anything to others.

I open my smartphone unconsciously.

Even though no notification has arrived,
for some reason, I open the screen.

Also, even though I intended to look something up,
before I knew it, I was reading a different article.

And a few minutes later,
'Wait, what was I trying to do?'
I end up thinking.

So recently,
I have been trying to use it consciously.

Before opening my smartphone,
I started to think,
'What am I opening it for?'

Am I going to watch a video?
Am I going to read a book?
Am I going to contact someone?

That is all.

Then, strangely enough,
the satisfaction is different, even though it is the same smartphone.

It is obvious,
but I feel like I am enjoying both my smartphone
and things other than my smartphone better than before.

Until now,
I thought I was using my smartphone,
but perhaps I was actually being used by it.

Swept away by recommendations,
swept away by notifications,
and before I knew it, only time had passed.

The apple's flower language is 'choice'.

Before opening your smartphone,
decide how you want to savor it.
Decide on a purpose.
What shall I enjoy today?
What shall I learn today?

Just by doing that,
I feel like the same amount of time becomes fruitful.

I don't think you need to stop using your smartphone.
I will continue to use it myself.

But if I am going to use it,
I want to savor it consciously,
rather than touching it unconsciously.

Smartphones, movies, and conversations,
are all accumulations of small choices.
I believe that savoring them with care,
is one of the ways to become happy.

Books that influenced me in writing this article

'Why Do World-Class Elites Train Their Aesthetic Sense?' by Shu Yamaguchi

The modern world is overflowing with information.

What you know is important, but it has become an era where 'what you feel' is questioned even more.

This book makes you think about values that cannot be reached by logic and efficiency alone.

Instead of consuming information flowing from your smartphone one after another, savor one experience thoroughly.

It was a book that resonates with this article.
I highly recommend it.

I have also summarized other flowers of 'ways to be happy'
in the link below.
Please take as much as you need 🍀

Thank you for reading until the end.
I hope to see you in another article.
🍀 May you be happy 🍀