You’re Made For So Much More
Doom-scrolling again, aren’t you? Crack would be a reprieve from the pull of the digital slot machine, pulling you in for another shot at the casino. Such is the danger of the digisphere when the Master’s jacket has been swapped for the slave's apron, and by God there are a lot of aprons.
It’s now all blur and no boundaries. How many times today? 12 you say. And what did you get from it? Do you even remember? I didn’t think so.
You are a ghost in the machine, your function is digital decadence, on autopilot. You’re a fucking algorithm. Open, scroll, stop, like, scroll, stop, like. Repeat. Come up for air. Open your eyes. It’s blurry, isn’t it? Notice how time passes. Chastise yourself for its death by putting on the anxiety cloak. Reprimand yourself and promise to do better. Now go to that site and do the thing you were going to do. Divert to the app. Open, scroll, stop, like, scroll, stop. like. Repeat.
Now it’s all you, isn’t it? You in your head. You talking to yourself, about yourself. Trapped in a prison of self. Aware enough to be cursed by it; dopamine drugged enough to sit by idly and fritter your life away.
It makes my skin crawl writing it. It must be like scratching nails down a blackboard to live it.
Especially when you’re made for so much more.
I’ll break it down.
You
‘You’, as in you the object, in physical reality.
You are a physical being with physical intelligence. You need to move, to interact with things using all the senses.
That’s the beauty of being human. You develop these hidden intelligences, intuitions, through movement and feedback. You were made to sweat, to work. Through the exertions of your mind and muscle, you free yourself from yourself, and you make things happen.
Made
‘Made’, as in created.
You one day “meet your maker”.
When conceived, a process unfolds that creates “you.” Creation is in your very DNA. It permeates your every cell. You must create. You must make things. You must work. You must locally reverse entropy by harnessing energy to create order out of chaos.
There’s a distinction here. Making is craftsmanship. It means putting in the reps and getting really good at something. You’re missing that. You’re checking apps and getting dopamine hits and reading articles about how to get rich and skimming the surface of this and that and the other.
You’re not building callouses. You need callouses. You need to get intimate with something. To learn about it from the outside, from the inside, in the present, in the past, from someone else’s perspective, part by part, as a whole, from the position of hierarchy, all the processes that go into it, the ways the greats do it, the ways it goes wrong, from your own failed attempts and your own successful attempts.
Making in the physical world. There’s a reason old mechanical watches, old cars, historic buildings, paintings and books have appeal. The craft. The years of training that went into the finished good. The workmanship. It’s the same with old institutions and old traditions. There’s a yearning for different examples of this, depending on who you are, because it’s scarce. And scarce things have value.
Making in the digital world. Not slop; real work. Creating software that solves a problem, writing words that change others, producing videos that inspire or educate.
Making relationships. Shaking hands, investing time and attention. Building experiences to gain a better understanding. Meeting and giving yourself. Calling and checking in.
Anyone can prompt. But you were born to create. Do not do yourself such an injustice with such smallness.
More
“More” as in more than your ‘self’.
Consumption without action and agency is a detonator for destruction.
But instead of exploding into the world, you implode into yourself. You build a prison you can’t escape from because instead of digging for the exits you’re desperate for the dopamine.
There is more to you than self. There is the outward world where things are happening. You are as much in the world as you are your ‘self’. ‘More’ is this realisation. You are a field and you impact all things around you. Go and use your incredible talents for more – family, work, relationships, community, society.
Life Max
There you have it. Stop the scroll. Come up for air. Lock in to life. As a physical being, do physical things. Make things, make friends. Look beyond yourself.
Take off your apron and throw it in the bin. Dust yourself down. Have a wash. Take a look in the mirror at yourself. Deep breath. Here you are. With intention.
And so with intention, walk over to your cupboard, where you’ll find your Masters jacket. Take it out and try it on. It still fits. It feels a little odd, but you know it’s yours, and you like it. It’s empowering, isn't it?
You were born for this. Go and live.
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