Tag Archives: take a break

Off the Radar

In a sea of spotlights, where are the shadows?  With social media stalking, tireless geo tracking, and flashbulb-fanaticism waiting to pounce at every turn, the modern notion of privacy is a laughable replica of a bygone era. We are constantly held accountable to a faceless cyber public without even accepting the terms of the contract.

Our moves and minds are followed and noted. Our decisions are recorded and our secrets are revealed. We’re forced to tiptoe on top of vanishing ground, built from equal parts quicksand scrutiny and rash judgment. We cover tracks, erase browser histories, delete texts, and modify passwords. But is any of it necessary? Does anyone else really care what we’re doing? Isn’t everyone simply too busy tending to their gardens to keep track of their weird neighbor’s harvest? Our adherence to secrecy is probably born more from personal insecurity than driven by the fear of some blind existential bogeyman, waiting in the shadows to expose our various peccadilloes and indiscretions.

So what’s the fix? How can we shed the weight and stress of running away from prying eyes and curious ears? How do we ditch the peanut gallery gossip to find refuge in safer pastures? How can we quiet the static and silence that incessant buzz humming from every invisible corner of our lives?

Slide off the radar.

If you don’t want attention, stop asking for it. If a sense of peace is paramount, construct your foundation from the concrete of sturdy self-assurance, courage, and mettle. Muffle the critics by exiting the circus.

There’s a world of balance waiting inside the tranquility of an uninterrupted moment.

Don’t fear the off button. Embrace it.

Adolescence Interrupted

The Nerds Are Driving the Bus

In recent years, a troubling trend has been developing that feels worthy of exploration. With the exponential rise in the rate of computer development, we are given the opportunity for some groundbreaking advancements in medicine, science, communication, learning, etc. But those presents often come with a caveat and the tradeoff may not be worth the sticker price.

The leading “tech gurus” seem to share a similar, disconcerting vision of our future, and it requires bending the planet to the whims of the insulated and isolated. Society is being influenced by and molded to the preferences and impulses of introverts unable to express themselves or make human connections in the real world. So the creation of alternate, virtual realities to hide those inadequacies behind cartoonish avatars or absolute anonymity feels like a warm safety blanket of protection. They can cower beneath a cloak of invisibility, never forced to reveal their authentic selves.  

Innovation directed toward helping hermits spend more and more time detached from reality to compensate for a total lack of social skills should not be the ultimate goal for humanity. If anything, we should be looking for ways to walk away from our desks, engage with our environment, and embrace the living, breathing ecosystem…while the air still passes as tolerable.

As someone who regularly stares at a screen, processing hundreds of pages of text every day, I see technology’s value as a powerful learning tool. But I also recognize the perilous nature of its quicksand construction. Our mental health and physical well-being are suffering under the crippling weight of split-second attention spans and an incessant pull to constantly redirect focus.

We’re spinning in place and dizzy from the effort.

Finding a balance between the body and the machine before the electronic puppeteer pulls the last remaining strings should be the primary objective.

Adolescence Interrupted