When someone steps into the online communities of Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or Twitter, what they’re seeing is people they look up to, or peers, in a performative exhibition.
Sometimes it’s apparent, but many times, not so much. Jealousy or anxiety may arise. And, to fit in, these users must also exhibit performative behavior. Which can lead to more anxiety, in a vicious cycle.
Slow and steady, they say.
Slowly. Very slowly.
It’s important not to get too far ahead of yourself, lest you trip yourself up.
When trust in the information landscape is eroded – specifically considering the way media has been demonized over the past several years – it then becomes impossible to trust what we’re hearing, reading, and seeing.
In fact, given the advances in technology, it is certainly difficult to tell what is real and what is not (okay, maybe not impossible, but there are some really good fakes out there).
We must reestablish trust in the media landscape.
It seems that we’re living in a time where it’s less about belonging where we are, and more about finding those anywhere else who have similar viewpoints to ours.
And what we’re missing, then, is actual connection.
How were we trained to want new things? Is it advertising? The feeling that we have to somehow keep up with others? Are we weighing our pleasure against the perceived pleasure of others?
Are we all just trying to keep up with the Joneses?
Every time a new project begins, there’s a special feeling about it.
Hold onto that feeling as long as you can. Remember, there’s so much that needs to get done, with so little time available to accomplish everything.
Just create.
The world needs creators.
Too many people want to destroy, or, more banally, just move things around.
Create. Create a lot. As much as you can.
Don’t let hyperfocus blind you to happy coincidence or serendipity. You may lose out on more than you’d ever realize.
What is it that we want out of life? I think knowing this answer leads us to a more truthful realization of our purpose.
We can’t just blindly go about, feeling in the dark, hoping to stumble upon the nature of reality and who we are.
We have to take time to think. To explore. To feel.
We make quick economic decisions all the time, on the fly. What is the opportunity cost of any action that you undertake? And hot damn, it isn’t nothing.
I’m not sure that being aware of every opportunity cost is enough to change how we make most of our decisions.
But, at the same time, we should at least try to be a little aware of the things we’re sacrificing to accomplish something else.
Michael's Musings 