The Devil is in the distraction

My mind is all over the place. I really think stress often comes from not doing the things you know you need to get done. Sometimes we let ourselves go and allow the distraction, but there are often small decisions that stack up until your head feels messy and you cannot quite explain why.

Look at social media. I’m not sure if I’ve found anyone who can use it effectively. There are those who ignore it entirely, and others who use it for hours straight. The issue is that it depletes our confidence. We know it is bad, but it draws us in. I think we genuinely see it like a sweet treat, a cheat meal, something we are treating ourselves with. If you tap your screen in the right place, instant dopamine. Tap somewhere else, and a sandwich appears at your door.

We made life easy, waay too easy

We get accustomed to these luxuries, yet they are still remarkable. It is easy to complain that we are hard at work, but as Bill Burr hilariously said, “Any job you can do in your pyjamas is not a hard job”.

People built pyramids in the desert heat… I think you can tweak that presentation at 9pm.

I think the difficult part is that we now have to replicate this effort by doing some weird Hyrox class or swinging around on a bar doing CrossFit. We think one 45 minute intense workout will solve the 12 hours we spend hunched over looking at screens. That is not how it works, champ.

So life has become incredibly easy, yet strangely difficult to live well. Now, AI will compound these issues. Further removing us from our natural way of life, I’m not a prescriber to Paleofantasy (the belief that modern humans are “mismatched” with modern society), however, we should fight to live according to universal truths, and be mindful that our bodies don’t adapt nearly as fast as our environments.

Caring is not the same as acting

Pandemics and technology can split the cracks already created by inconsiderate social planning, but we are all to blame at some level.

I forgot to vote yesterday :/

I did not vote yesterday. I did not note it down, and I did not have time. It was a local election, but it is still important. As someone who proclaims to care about social issues, I am not doing the tangible step that can lead to change.

I criticise some for prioritising profits over impact, then I just did the same thing at a smaller scale. He who has never sinned should cast the first stone.

That is probably the part that annoys me most. Not just the missed vote but the small gap between what I think matters and what I actually organise myself to do. It is easy to have opinions, but much harder to make sure your life is set up so you actually act on them.

Safety in numbers feels less safe now

Maybe the real point is that we need to question more of what we are blindly accepting. For many years, there was safety in numbers and following the general public meant safety. Now, for perhaps the first time, I think the pack may be walking off a cliff.

The balance is integrating into society while maintaining your sovereignty at the same time. Lose your ego and keep your dignity. Following trends works well, unless you are late. You should be able to see clearly, and that is becoming harder when everything is designed to pull your attention somewhere else.

Saying NO, to most things will be essential. Learning how to protect your peace will be a competitive advantage.

See y’all next month.