The world seems totally awash with people ranting and raving at each other. Politics seems to invade everything. Well, most everything. The volume and severity of the assault of the rigid-minded becomes an attack on one’s sanity.
It is possible to have an inner calm despite the screaming?
Yes, It Is
It is possible to avoid most of the onslaught.
So, How?
Sometimes the simplest action is the most effective.
Turn It Off
That’s the answer: Turn it off. What I mean here is that if I don’t participate, I won’t be subject to whatever influence it has.
Keeping Safe
I consider the current state of social media and the inundation it provides for aggression to be a dangerous and harmful environment. As such, it becomes relatively easy to disengage from it.
I am fully aware that many people consider the need to be connected to others and to be informed as overriding most detrimental experiences of social media. That is a choice that people can make, I do not choose to make that choice. I can stay as connected and informed without social media. Yes, it is true I miss out on some things by not being a participant in some social platforms, but I find it a small price to pay for my peace of mind, sanity, and the avoidance of addiction.
Other Similarities
At one time, when I was younger, I was part of the “go see all new movies when they come out” crowd. I wanted to keep up-to-date on the latest trends in cinema and be able to discuss shared and common cultural influences. After a few years however, I stopped going to most movies. When I stopped, I gained back more of my own time, saved money, did not miss out on conversations, and found myself calmer and able to see things more independently.
Not This, Not That
This is not an admonition to put one’s head in the ground. I am not advocating emotional disconnection or psychic silence. I am aware as the next person of all the indignities and disappointments of modern society. What I am saying is that at the basic level, awareness is needed for full participation in life. And also that the current state of affairs, where total immersion and constant connection in social media is expected, where outrage is the desired and propagandized goal–that it becomes over the top and detrimental.
A Different Simplicity
This is a similar idea to a stop smoking program I was once considering to start. My plan was to advertise “How To Stop Smoking In Five Seconds.” I never put this program in motion, but the basic content was to tell people:
“If You Don’t Put A Cigarette in Your Mouth, You Won’t Smoke.”
And that is all that is needed. I certainly would have expected that I would need to repeat that line since I was not sure people would understand all of its implications. It is so simple and so obvious. Of course I expected much pushback and probably hostile reactions. But the simplicity of this direction was most obvious, and I thought no other program or method could be better. (Since I never put this program in motion, you are free to consider doing it yourself.)
These Directions
What these two experiences taught me–relieving myself of the need to see all significant movies, and the considerations needed to stop smoking–is that the most simple and direct responses to aggravations is usually the best way to move forward. And so it is with social media. If social media has harmful affects–as much research and real life anecdotes show –then the best and simplest procedure is to avoid it.
Have you tamed your social media addiction? You can let me know here.
The map of India, titled “The Moguls Empire Divided into its Principal Governments” was originally published in The Gentleman’s Magazine in 1767 (London).
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