- Naval Ravikant
The Disease of Abundance
In the world that we live in, we are exposed to a lot of information and to no one’s surprise, the human brain is not designed to absorb all sorts of news around the globe. The clickbait-y headlines with useless information sucks our time that we could invest somewhere else in ways more than one.
matter how sound minded we are, no matter how keen learners we are, paying attention to all the news around us will eventually drive us insane. The generation that we live in has a constant hunger for news that will eat us whole. The so-called social media platforms and their addiction is driving one to loneliness, rather than bringing us closer as a world. We compare ourselves with the ‘perfect individuals’ on social media platforms forgetting the fact that the life here is fabricated.ifsfabricated.We want to live life of people who we don’t know, forgetting all about our own individuality, our own strengths and our own character. These platforms are making us believe that everyone is perfect except us.
The ancient struggle used to be the tribal struggle. Struggles’ definition was different back then. You have your tribe- friends, family, religion, your country, your loyalty, at least you had meaning and support. Modern life is so free, everything has become atomized. Our eyes see the world materially rather than ethically, or with love. We don’t have any tribal meaning, we don’t believe in religion anymore, we don’t believe in country anymore. We have a lot of freedom. Destructive freedom.
These addictions have now been weaponized- Alcohol, drugs, pornography, processed food, video games, social media, etc. They give you small doses of pleasure, but they also desensitize you and expose you to the misery of their absence. We lose our mind and our sense of judgement before all these. Deriving pleasure from material things can only last for finite days. Seeking pleasure in subjects like spirituality, platonic relationships and even other human beings can last longer that the man himself. Reconnection with the nature is required to seek humane happiness.
The more we are connected as an individual to the world, the lonely we will get. Questions on self-identity are slowly arising. Who am I in this crowd? Questions like this will create anxiety and depression. The real unknown need of this generation is to isolate from this world, and it is already started happening in bits and pieces. For instance, earlier we used to pay extra for Wi-Fi in a hotel, but now 0 connectivity hotels have emerged, where you have to pay for the DISCONNECTION from outer world.
Do not seek pleasure for its own sake. Filter your feed. Absorb the sky, spend more time with nature. It’s important to become self-aware. Journal your thoughts. Foster self-love. Comparison is never the answer to motivation and it often leads us in despair and filled with hatred, envy. You are worthy, you are valued and you are loved.
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