Quitting the Game

I just can’t do it anymore. I quit!

To say we are all inundated with media is an understatement. News, politics, current events, marketing, commercials, billboards, ads, and everyone you know talking about all those things all the time.

I. Am. Done.

A quick look back

When I was a kid I remember sitting at my kitchen table with paper and pencil. I would draw for hours easily achieving that ever so sought-after flow state we can only dream of as adults. I had no interest in the news, no interest in politics, and no interest in anyone’s business. I was completely and utterly focused on the present.

Man, do you remember what that was like?

Now, I’m not naive enough to dismiss the fact that as we increase in age so do our responsibilities. Family, jobs, social engagements, and everything in between can cloud our perceptually pure state of our younger selves.

But just think for a moment how that felt. How we would be able to be singularly focused and happy.

My work in progress

Recently, I’ve tried to cut out the noise. All that crap I mentioned earlier about media, news, etc. has corrupted our minds in a very bad way. In an almost irreversible way. We are allowing ourselves to be slowly deconstructed little by little every day by the noise surrounding us.

It’s too much. Creativity suffers. Peace of mind suffers. Sanity suffers.

I’m a work in progress. My goal is to control what I can and cut the noise. News media, the feeling of “needing to know,” the onslaught of advertising and marketing need to be quieted. They need to be tamed and disciplined.

How will I go about doing this? By scrutinizing everything.

I will:

• not look at social media except for entertainment purposes (like Youtube)
• get only headlines from the news at a very specific time of day
• unsubscribe ruthlessly from emailed newsletters that do not provide value
• reduce and eventually completely stop mindlessly surfing the web for shallow info
• begin to read quality fiction
• take up a creative endeavor (such as art once again)
• Connect more with real people and have real conversations
• Spend more quiet time without the need for technology
• Recognize the indispensable value of physical work (making chores more meaningful)
• Simplify, reduce, and minimize things

I am sure I will think of more and that all this will evolve as I go, but it’s a start.

The noise must stop. I owe a quieter, more present mind to my family and to myself.