Mind numbing

Credit worldofweirdthings.com

I might be wrong, but if asked I’ll be the first to tell you: these are not the times to be “lost in outer space.” Mind numbing is prevalent in our society, and more insidious by the minute. If you think I’m referring to drug, alcohol and substance abuse, you’re right. But there’s more to this phenomenon, much more. Mind numbing includes such ‘harmless’ pastimes and activities as binging social media, Netflix or similar streaming services, playing video games, gambling and speculation (odds making, which many people confuse with investing, a corollary of which is watching and betting on sports), even the commonly accepted and lauded practices of indiscriminate reading, watching and following ‘news,’ and such publications closely. All these, and many not specifically mentioned, fall under the spacious umbrella of mind numbing.

Now I may just have painted myself into the corner of an outdated puritan and hypocrite, for surely I myself am not free of all such vice. Guilty. But that’s precisely where this article comes into play. I have recently come to understand that all these activities are mind numbing. We’re well into the third decade of the twenty-first century, so I realize we cannot wholly escape streaming, the news, speculation, sports, social media, etcetera. I enjoy the occasional cold pint of ale myself, as those who know me can attest. The difference, my friends, is that I now view all such activities with a suspicious eye. And to demonstrate sincerity, I’m happy to start with myself.

I get it. You work a long day, dealing with problems often not originating with, but nevertheless depending on you for quick resolution. Emails. With each new inbox item a ten-to-sixty minute rabbit hole of tasks to be looked into and resolved before we can reply. When finally hanging up your hat around 4 or 5pm, your brain is fried. You just want to disconnect from it all. The healthy ones will take to outdoorsing a walk, or some other physical activity. Of course weather and circumstances don’t always permit. If you are wise enough to have stayed away from illicit substances, you turn to the more innocuous habit of streaming something dumb and entertaining to take your mind off things. Or perhaps you are ‘disciplined’ and flip on the news to stay ‘informed’ on current affairs. Either way, your mind is being numbed.

William Randolph Hearst of famed Hearst Communications literally built a castle on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean in San Simeon, California, based on the bounteous lucre of his newspaper business in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Commonly hailed as the father of yellow journalism, which according to Wikipedia, “influenced the nation’s popular media by emphasizing sensationalism and human interest stories,” Hearst may have been among the pioneers, but by no means the last. Indeed since then the term ‘yellow’ has fallen off and now we simply have ‘journalism,’ many degrees more sensationalist and divisive than what the man himself could have imagined. The news pulls, nudges and sways public opinion by reporting facts. What gets overlooked and is hence the source of its mind-numbing power, these ‘facts’ are an arbitrary and unrelated collection of events stringed together to foment a certain narrative. The daily drumming of this narrative into our hearts and minds reaches mythic proportions, which we all know shape not only individual lives, but entire communities and by extension, the fate of a nation.

But if news is not your cup of tea, big tech has you covered with streaming services! Whether you are of the murder mystery, standup comedy, contemporary drama, fantasy and lore or reality dating show variety, they have just what you’re looking for to take your mind off the avalanche of emails flooding your inbox. It boasts countless hours of non-stop, seamless, commercial-free entertainment to mindlessly waste your life away. As confessed earlier in this article, I can only speak to these things because I myself fall prey to such activities and mentalities. It’s tempting. The difference? Where before I would start to stream thinking, “You enjoy, Luis, you have earned and deserve this!” Now I think, “That’s 2 hours of my life that I did not commit to reading, napping, learning, spending with family, writing or doing something productive. Damn it.”

Of course not all streaming is created equal. In fact I have substituted much mind numbing entertainment for documentaries and informational programming; on current events, technology, prevailing philosophies, ethics, and other themes that shape the lens through which we interpret life. Nevertheless, too much of a good thing is still too much. I am hypervigilant when starting to read a book or follow YouTube channels that lean too emphatically in one direction or another. I don’t need my brain washed by intelligent people any more than I need to be blindsided by irreverent comedy. When we get right down to it, what I am advocating for, what I’ll always advocate for, is fierce independence of mind and reclaiming our power to choose our own thoughts. To think, ponder, meditate and process for ourselves.

I am not a prudish moral absolutist. I understand culture is an ever-changing chimera who cannot lose a head without growing seven back in its place. I do not long or advocate for the “good old days” of small communities, literally built around the commons chapel. I take the occasional load off with a new standup routine. I love Curb Your Enthusiasm (perhaps too much). There is a place for comedy, levity, laughter. It is important to be informed. Life is not all work, study and productivity. This wears out the body also. As King Solomon and my latest book observes, “Further, my son, by these be admonished. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is wearisome to the flesh.” Mind, he wrote that insightful line many centuries ago. I’d pay top dollar to get Solomon’s take on current affairs were he alive today!

In summation, this is not the time to be lost in space. The market is being flooded with revolutionary new technologies by the week, and those of us too happy to be entertained or informed with biased, politically-driven programming will miss the boat. This to say nothing of gambling, taking drugs or overindulging in alcohol. Life is moving at the speed of light and more than ever it is time to be vigilant, objective, sober minded and truly well informed. Say no to streaming, pick up a book. Say no to the book, jot down or journal your own thoughts. Say no to even that and kick the ball around with your son or daughter for a few precious moments. There is time enough to reach all our objectives and do the things we want to do. But if we commit 33% of our lives to chatter, gossip, propaganda, substance abuse, financial irresponsibility and mind-numbing entertainment, that’s just what we’ll end up with: a numb mind. Your mind is anesthetized while the powers that be get bolder, stronger, more invincible; laughing all the way to the bank.

Say no to the noise. Say yes to peace, prosperity and independence. Too much of a good thing is always too much. And even a tiny bit of a bad thing is more than enough. Life is short. Count your hours and stop taking for granted the singular moments that make up your life. It’ll all be over in a flash. Wouldn’t it be nice to get to our dying breath with minimal regrets? If this sounds like an unambitious goal just take a moment to interview the people already on their deathbed… they’ll tell you there’s no better use of your time.