Socially Overconsumed

I've noticed that as time passes, the mundane often merges with the idea of boredom, leading to excessive scrolling. Have you ever had a moment where your time is being held up by a task, and instead of being present, you're wishing that moment was stipulated by something more fulfilling?

Most people I've encountered think this way about their 9 to 5; it occupies so much of their time that if it were replaced with something else, they tend to believe they would be a lot further in fulfilling their life's purpose. Ironically, when that free time is available and billable hours aren't acquired, that free time goes towards scrolling and doom watching instead.

I've recently fallen victim to this unhinged pattern and decided to set a strict boundary on how to further occupy my time. I honestly found out that there is so much peace in the absence of noise, and many thoughts that deserve to be observed without additional opinions and through moments of obtaining no voice outside of my own.

This allowed me to realize that purpose is in the everyday tasks of life. Stepping away from various forms of media, I realized I wasn't living life, but I was just visually embracing the ideas of the life I want to live rather than embracing my own. So I had to ask myself, Are you living to enjoy life, or living to watch someone else enjoy theirs? I started to realize that all the things on my social extended shopping list are not needed, and there is laughter and joy in the practicality of life outside of reels and TikTok.

Do we need to see and hear everyone's opinions, purchases, and day-in-the-life videos? How many hours a day do you spend on your phone compared to the hours you spend without it? When was the last time you had a conversation or bonded with someone without referencing a sound clip or meme?

It's as if the new Matrix has been revolutionized into a tiny pocket-sized handheld phone, and the blue pill has cloned so many minds that one can't seem to exist without the codependency of the Architect, the phone.