When we each think about life, in particular our lives, I guarantee that each and every one of us has a different perspective, a different opinion, a different path to follow, and so on and so forth.

Lately, we've developed a second life, of sorts. Our ideal life, and our real life. That ideal life is created the moment we log onto the internet for the first time, and will exist until the last time we log onto the internet. The internet allows for people to create facades, and to put barriers up, that allow them to be something that they aren't. Sure, we all dream of living the life we've always pictured, but often that does not happen.

For some, the path to that dream may be too difficult. For others, they were given challenges early in life out of their control that ultimately shaped their destiny and dreams. Some let life sort itself out, and just follow it all the way down the road. And some just drift through life, living an illusion they're convinced is life.

That "ideal" life begins to take shape, in that case, and often it is used as a coping mechanism, or a way to disconnect from the real world, and these days, access to it has become easier than ever.

But this presents a problem, in which our "ideal" life eventually rules over our real life, and it slowly consumes us. We begin to detach from who we really are, and adopt a false identity that leaves us insecure, shallow, egotistical, and ultimately untrue to what and who we really are.

Folks, I'm talking about internet addiction: the hours we spend combing social media, trying to create and give false attention just out of boredom and ignorance. The hours we spend watching pointless videos of someone else's misfortune for our own amusement. The constant informing the world of the absolutely insignificant moments that occur each and every second (I highly doubt anyone really wants to know what you had for dinner on a given Tuesday night).

Folks, I'd like to ask each and every one of you a few questions:

• Do you get any sort of satisfactory feeling from that new (selfie/status update/tweet/post) you just put up?
  
• Do you spend a majority of your time (checking social media/searching the internet/watching videos online)?
  
• Do you feel like your life could use improvement in one way or another?
  

If you answered "yes" to any of these, please turn off your computer, go outside, get some fresh air, and be human, after finishing this post.

If you answered "yes," it means you've developed an internet addiction, and that your "ideal" life has consumed your real life. It means that you need to make a change in your life for your health and betterment. Cutting back on internet usage would be a good place to start.

Why do I say this? I say this, because each and every day, I see human beings effectively losing their humanity due to how connected they are to the internet. Simple face-to-face conversations have extrapolated to face-to-phone-to-phone-to-face conversations, where people's faces are buried in their phones while having a conversation with the person directly across from them. I see human beings stop more important tasks, such as driving, cooking, working, supervising their children, etc... just to look at a status update, or a text, or an e-mail, or whatever.

Folks, you are not truly living and enjoying life if even the most simplest, important things take a backseat to the bright noisemaker in your back pocket. Things that you take for granted, are worth absolutely nothing now. You complain you can't spend enough time with your kids, or practicing your guitar, or whatever. You would have the time if you quit staring at your (insert social media of choice) feed, and actually acted like a human being. You're missing out on things you probably will never have the chance to see again.

The bottom line here folks, is unplug. Unplug yourself more often, and you will have time to experience all of what life truly has to offer. You'd be surprised what you can do if you put your mind to it, and dedicate time to it.