And at first it really bothered me. I mean, it really bothered me. I tend to be pretty positive and accepting and love saying things like "whatever floats your boat" and "if it makes you happy." But with this? Ha! No. With this, as I'd feel my body recoiling, my smile turning to a frown, and my brow furrowing, all of my judge-y judgments rose to the surface:
What the fuck is going on?
It's like a zombie apocalypse or something.
That's so stupid.
What the fuck is wrong with these people?
Oh, great, more Pokemon Go zombies.
Oh, great, that cute guy is actually a Pokemon zombie. Bleh!
I don't like this.
I don't get it.
Ugh, it's so annoying!
Please tell me this is just a phase! :(
What's this world coming to?
I know, I know. I'm awful! Don't judge me for judging though; keep reading....
So I'm having all these nasty thoughts, and it's disturbing me that I feel so disturbed. But then, a couple nights ago, I snapped out of it. Sort of.... I was walking with a friend around Green Lake, in Seattle, and I actually interrupted her to point out that there were about twenty to thirty people sitting down in one spot all looking at their phones. We started talking about the Pokemon Go "zombie apocalypse," and then it hit me-- a wave of whatever. who cares? But I was actually still cringing a little over it all as I drove home that night, until I had a realization:
Thanks to this Pokemon Go craze, I have been looking at my own phone way less when walking around or sitting in a park. And even though it's partially because I don't want to be mistaken for someone playing that game (which means I'm still judging it, right?), it's also because seeing all these people just staring at their phones reminds me how important it is to not do that, to look around instead. To take in the beauty of where I am. To look in people's eyes as we pass each other by. To close my eyes while sitting, too, to just give my eyes a rest.
So that is the first reason why I can now show some love for Pokemon Go.
The next reason is that I've been forced to look at my dark side-- that critical part of me that has those nasty thoughts above. And realizing it's kind of nuts to be so harsh about this, right? I mean, sure, I do think it's stupid and have some valid concerns about the negative impact of staring at one's phone too much, especially while walking. But I also see that it's bringing joy to those people who are playing. And if it's getting them outside, walking around-- maybe it's actually good for them! Maybe the pros outweigh the cons. It's all relative, right? And who am I to judge anyway? My time and energy would be better spent praying that no Pokemon Go zombie stumbles into the road and in front of my car without me having the time to stop or swerve.
So, thanks to Pokemon, I have a chance to reflect upon my judgmental side and then to soften and open into the type of unconditional love and acceptance that I so often talk about. I get a chance to see things from another perspective and to walk my talk! Yay. And I can still feel a little disturbed by this craze and not like it, but without being a bitch about it. I can find some humor in it all, including in my own reaction to it. All of the self-reflection has definitely taken the edge off-- at least it feels that way sitting in my house. Let's see what happens next time I'm at the park. Wish me luck!
Now, is there anything else? Anything else to love about it? Just that it inspired me to write a blog post after. . . . 7 months?! Really? Wow. I've been in book-writing/editing land for sure. But it's time to get back to the blog. So stay tuned for more.
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