by José Luis Mendoza Aubert

For a change, I went the other day to my favorite philosophical spot, the Jardín Principal in front of the Parroquia. Observing the locals and tourists, I was struck by the overwhelming number of people, of all ages and social backgrounds, with their cell phones. Some were looking at them, others talking, others texting, and others listening.

I am a person who grew up in a time when technology was not as advanced as it is now. I remember when television was only in black and white, when the great advance of color came, when the internet did not yet exist.

When I was young, communication, and life in general, was slower. There was time to meditate, think about what we would say, commune with our deep thoughts and feelings. It was a delight to imagine places, situations, people, without being run over by an avalanche of pre-digested images. This constant exposure to a large amount of images and technology can have a negative impact on our health and well-being.

Overexposure to images and technology is something that can affect any of us, who spend hours in front of computer screens, mobile phones, and televisions. It is important that we are aware of how it affects our physical and mental health and that of our loved ones.

Spending long hours sitting in front of a screen can cause eye fatigue, headaches, and posture problems. Lack of physical activity and prolonged exposure to the blue light emitted by screens can also affect our sleep cycle and increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Although technology can be a very useful tool, overexposure to images and technology can have a negative impact.

This is true also regarding our mental well-being, affecting our ability to concentrate, decreasing our productivity, and straining other aspects of our psychology. In addition, constant exposure to violent or sexual images can have a negative emotional impact on us.

It is important that we take steps to limit our exposure to technology and images, especially at an early age when we are discovering the world. Let's not take away from children the magic of imagining and thinking. This could include setting time limits for electronic device use, taking regular breaks to avoid eye fatigue and muscle strain, and carefully choosing the TV programs and movies we watch and that our children watch.

Let's take steps to limit our exposure and be selective with the content we consume. We deserve quality, not quantity. Let's make time for thinking and imagining instead of constantly swallowing the predigested content of modern media.

Part II

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José Luis Mendoza Aubert: actor, director and theater technician; teacher and writer of Theater and Plastic Arts; founder and director of the Comedia del Universo theater company and school, operating in San Miguel for the last 20 years; musicologist and cinephile, judge of the En Corto Film Festival now GIFF for 8 years; Director of Art and Culture of the Public Library for 15 years; member of the board of directors of El Sindicato Centro Cultural Comunitario.

José Luis gives talks and workshops on environmental awareness in schools and communities. He is a founding member of the Allende la Cultura Collective. He plays Veracruz music and writes poetry and is a founding member of the music group Jarocha "Soledad".

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