turning your brain off
ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, it seems a certain group of people who spend way too much time on the internet have adapted a principle of "turning your brain off". don't think, just consume.
i mean, i get why. i get why you'd want to scroll through tik tok 2 hours a day. i get why you'd want to indulge on junk food. i get why you'd want to go on temu and buy a haul of stuff you don't need. i get why you'd want to watch an anime about an average joe in a JRPG-esque fantasy world getting super OP skills and a bunch of hot girls who all want to [REDACTED] him. life is frustrating, and sometimes you just want to melt your brain and numb yourself to it all. i get that, i really do.
if anything, that just makes me hate it even more. i can't help but believe that the rich men want us to follow this principle, because it's a distraction from more important issues. issues that they, the rich men, caused. don't get it twisted; this is all their fault.
we can sit here on our computers and type out condescending comments against folks who spend too much time on social media, telling them to "touch grass". but i'm not going to do that. it's not helpful. instead, if you are one of those folks, and you're reading this, i have a question for you.
why? why do you indulge in social media, fast food, temu/aliexpress/wish/shein, and wish-fulfillment fiction, while still complaining about how bad it is? it's not healthy. it's an unhealthy addiction, just like gambling or drugs. and i have a proposal to help you break free from it:
mark down a week on your calendar. throughout that week, uninstall your social media apps. plan to take a walk or bike ride (if you have a bike) once a day. if there's something you've been wanting to do for a while, such as reading a book or working on a project, do it. think of a skill you'd like to learn, and take time to learn it. take a piece of paper, and write down how you're feeling each day. the first step is always the hardest, but you will see that it's worth it.
and whenever you choose to do this, good luck. i believe in you. sincerely.