Hi, again.
November was busy. 2019 has been busy. This year has felt like a whole decade. In all the busy-ness, I’ve managed to notice something.
An observation
A discovery
I’ve found that I have been consumed by the internet. Every platform I use to access the web has changed tiny and not-so-tiny parts of me - how I engage with the world, what matters to me, the food I eat, and even how I sit (slouch). I’m a little sick of the influence. Change is inevitable (and mostly good!), but this feels weird and alien now.
This constant knowing, and craving to know more, drain me of my ability to pay attention. I’m almost too tired to care and show up in the ways I want to. There’s too much happening, and strangely, it feels like nothing is happening. The web (mostly social media, but also email!) gives me a whole platter of things to do and just keeps refreshing before I can do anything (well) at all. I’ve discovered I would like to step off this carousel.
Turns out I’m not the only one. Several people have noticed how the “Fast Web” leaves them feeling rushed and bored and tired and …consumed. Here, Jack Cheng writes about an alternative: The Slow Web.
I’m a big fan of the suggestion that both users and makers can design a slower, thoughtful web, and consequently, make room for deliberate, delicious lives.
A dream
I find myself dreaming of a world where I’m allowed and encouraged to slow down, online as well as offline. Where it doesn’t feel like I’m required to pay attention to everything all the time. This would also need us to completely review how we look at labour, but that’s a bigger conversation for another day. Until then, I want to do less and get some rest.
A goal
Around this time every year, I begin reading my older journals to know which goals I’ve met and which ones I will be carrying into the new year. I also tend to add goals to my list. This year, I will be un-goaling. If I want to do less, what will I choose to let go? What spaces will I leave, and what space will I make? If I want to be more present, what will I pay more attention to? What will a slower, deliberate life look like? I hope to find out.
With love,
Malathi