I’ve lost the piece of me that makes a difference. The internet has taken it. It has. I saw it. During the Christmas break I discovered the theft. I work hard. I love my job and I love the difference I can make but I am assaulted 24/7 with information that makes me feel useless. Largely because it appears to be useful – but not vital,
and I don’t know what I should ignore or what will be gold dust. It’s a creeping, anxious feeling that overtakes me. Like constantly snacking and never feeling hungry – but equally never feeling satisfied – and worse than that is that I have absolutely no space to sort it out.
To be selective. To think.
I read stuff on social media, I like it, I share it and sharing implies I endorse it fully and thoroughly recommend it. How can that we true? I don’t have the time. “It’s a mile wide and an inch deep”. There is no time to absorb, to question, to examine and research… – before I pass on my considerations to my friends and colleagues.
The endless news feed doesn’t want you to read through its stories – it wants you to throw yourself into the frantic currency of scrolling, of liking, of sharing. It doesn’t allow you to lose yourself in a well researched piece. If it did… it would be a book.
There is no space for digestion among the competition for sound bites, images and being ‘clever’.
And the cost of this butterfly attention span is original and creative thinking.
The true wonder of a good instructional video or instant messaging – is lost among a thousand punch lines and an endless river of self importance and selfies. And once they gain your attention they demand to be shared – and off they go, without even a thank you!
So among the endless noise – I’m losing original thought – the random, unpredictable exciting bursts of ideas that bubble up when you least expect them – when you are still, when you are staring at that mote of dust in a sunbeam on the carpet.
So my new year’s resolution (for it had to come to that)… is to have less. Do less and create more.
Now do please share this blog! (smiley face)
Happy New Creative Year.