Category Archives: Human-Cyborg Relations

Cyborgs Appreciate Nature

As techies, we’re inclined to stay cooped up inside with our electronics, and our cozy homes. Cyborgs exist with and without tech but they should also strive to find the Balance of living with Nature. Humans in many fields have attempted to recognize the importance that nature, the outdoors and other living things have in our lives. Some say Nature Changes our Brain for the better, others claim that Nature Impacts Our Well-being,  and yet others would argue that Nature is Essential!

Make time this spring and summer to do some activities outdoors. Instead of going to the gym, maybe you walk outside on the bike trails. Maybe instead of having tea at a restaurant for brunch, you invite everyone over for some patio time. There are a lot of budget-friendly and Free Outdoor Activities that can keep you involved with nature. It will be easy to look up local events like outdoor concerts, fairs and farmer’s markets that can keep you active and getting your nature fill.

I plan on taking my own advice. My yard needs a great deal of work so I’m going to put some time in making it look spectacular this summer. Maybe you can garden your whole yard like I plan to. Maybe you can only have a hanging plant in your apartment. Maybe you can only go to the park downtown. No matter what style your life with nature takes, make sure it is Unique to You! Do so Mindfully. Spontaneously and make sure to Bring Friends!

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Cyborgs are social

We call it Social Media, and our tech helps us to be connected wherever and whenever we like but are we really being social? We need real, face-to-face contact as well as digital and long-distance communication to maintain a healthy Cyborg life. Don’t fool yourself into believing you’re getting all of the interaction you need from others through phones or Facebook. Robots might not need to see another robot, but don’t only communicate using tech because you’ll be Isolating the human side of yourself!

One of the greatest thing about Cyborgs is that they are social! A functioning Cyborg has the Mindfulness to be able to distinguish when they need Real Social Interaction, and when a quick message over text will do. I doubt I’m the first person to tell you that having a Social Network (That isn’t digital) not only helps you emotionally but also professionally. Becoming a functioning cyborg can help you find the Balance you need to function in your life while maintaining all of the relationships successful cyborgs need.

Find ways of keeping in contact with people that are comfortable for you. Invite people over for your favorite activity and send hand-written letters as the invitations! It also isn’t hard (especially with the internet) to find where activities you might be interested in are located. Attend a social work function.

Don’t refute the ability of digital networking to help you find places in which you can enrich your life with local face-to-face social interaction. Many groups have Cyborgs at the helm running events and reaching out digitally to find other like-minded folks! Become a Cyborg, not a Robot – Be Social!

(Re)finding your Groove as a Cyborg

Hello again everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful hiatus over the holidays, particularly with your tech. There’s no better time to shut off your devices than when you’re with friends and family! The holidays are also a good time to receive or purchase new tech as gifts, and I’m sure many of you – like me – got some great new tech in your lives. I’m here to try to help you get back into your grove of Switching Off, Unplugging or finding your personal mix of being connected and still living your life.

New tech is always exciting. My first point of advice when getting new tech is to learn everything you can about it when you first get it. Read the manual, do all the setup. Don’t let it sit in its box, and don’t just jump right in. I want you to know everything there is about your new tech so you can avoid the frustration of it not working later in your life. There’s nothing more time consuming than malfunctioning tech, and I would wager (although I’m not a wagering Cyborg, generally) that most malfunctions are user errors. We can avoid these potentially time-consuming and emotionally hazardous pitfalls of tech use if we know all there is to know about it in the first place!

Once you know your tech and have become familiar with it, don’t be afraid to use it. Technology has a purpose, so don’t waste it! Get the most out of your new tech, but always remember to do so with moderation. The tech exists to alleviate pressure or to create solutions in our lives many times by making things easier for us, or encouraging us to do and be better. Let the tech help.

The most wonderful thing about our tech is that most of our devices are entirely customizable. Keep yourself in mind when you are adjusting to your life with your new tech. Keep your Balance, maintain your Mindfulness and above all Put YOU First! If a few months down the road you feel as if your tech is once again taking over your life, don’t be afraid to Rethink it!

A Cyborg Lives

Being connected is important. We want so desperately to be part of something, a family, a group of friends, an event. No matter the scale of our desire to be connected, it still exists. Robots live to work. They live to put one foot in front of the other and accomplish their goals. It is all well and good to be a Robot sometimes. Sometimes it is the only way to get through busy, stressful or difficult times in our lives. I’m telling you that if you want to live a life in love, balance, and mindfulness you need to do it for you and stop being a Robot (when it is safe to do so).

Cyborgs live for themselves, they Break their Programming. While wild beasts and other creatures of our great earth live to survive, Robots live to work and Cyborgs live for more. In this journey that is life, you should live for you! Start by being honest with yourself about what you desire out of life. Be true to yourself! Tiny Buddha gives advice on other ways to be true to yourself, and it may help you find what you’re looking for.

Once you are true to yourself by being honest with who you are and what you need, you can then make the changes in your life to fulfill those needs. Even Robots require maintenance! Life Hack can guide you on strategies of being more honest with yourself. Create little goals for yourself if you think it will be too hard. You can start by dedicating 5 minutes a day to something you really want to do. Maybe reading your favorite book? Or maybe you watch only one episode of your favorite show? Maybe you write? No matter what is important to you, make sure that even for a few moments per day, that it comes first. Make time for yourself and what you need and what fulfills you.

It may seem confusing to give up responsibilities or other hobbies that include being social and then dedicating time to yourself. The world expends a great deal of effort trying to tell us that we should give, give and give some more. It is good to give, but it is even better when you are able to give when your own cup is full. Find yourself and put yourself first in your life so you can practice Switching off and Unplugging. You’ll flourish as a Cyborg living your life.

A Cyborg is Present

Learning to Switch Off or Unplug is hard. I’m not going to tell you that living your life starts off easy. Like all new things, it takes dedication and the development of life-long habits. I can tell you, however, that especially during this time of year one of the best things that can keep you on track for not living as a robot is to live for the moments. Living for the moment means that when you walk into a friend or family gathering you hug for a few more seconds, you take your coat off, kick your shoes to the corner and snuggle in. Make yourself at home wherever you go!

How do you live in the moment? It comes after Breaking your Programming. It means being prepared for Balance. It comes with being Mindful of the wonderful things that you have all around you. Don’t just start each day off thinking “What wonderful things will today bring?” think instead, “What wonderful things will this moment bring?”. Any day has the potential to be filled with insight, love, and comfort, and even the smallest things can show us this. A smile, a laugh, a hug can all bring tiny moments of understanding. Maybe we live for smiles, hugs, and laughter.

Sometimes families are stressful. Sometimes you’re the one stuck cooking dinner or cleaning up the dishes. Sometimes you’re the new one, or the old one and everyone around you is different. No matter what your situation is, there are special moments to be had. If you’re plugged-in to work, or your phone or thinking of being somewhere else, those special moments are likely to be missed. Pay attention to yourself and how you feel, and pay attention to the people around you. Let the joy of fellowship fill you up because humans are social creatures by nature and no matter what anxieties or fears or stressors you have, once you put yourself wholeheartedly into life, you’ll be surprised at how easy it becomes.

Juste Etre: Just Be suggests in “Just ‘Doing’ to Just ‘Being’” that we should look smaller. Pay attention to the little muscles in our bodies as we act or react. Focus. If living in the moment isn’t easy for you, let your focus take control. Focus on how the chair beneath you feels, or the smell of the house around you. In this, you’ll find that living in the moment can be a spectacular thing. Living for the Moment may make you happier because you can take delight in smaller things. It may make you more grateful because you can find joy in even the simplest of activities.