I’ve finally gotten to the point where I’m tired of being mentally stimulated all the time. Seriously- I’m getting sick of it.
The problem I have is that, as a geek, I’m constantly interested in and drawn to the internet and social media. Technology in general fascinates me, but not in the way you might think.
My brain is what modern psychologists call “ADHD.” You can name it whatever you want, but in the end, it just means that it’s extremely difficult for me to focus on things that are important if they don’t provide dopamine or stimulation.
And so far, the best thing I’ve found to deal with it is- get this- being bored.
I hate being bored. When I was a kid, I would throw temper tantrums about being bored. I didn’t want to play the same game again. I didn’t want to go to the same classes every day. I didn’t want to do anything that wasn’t impulsive or adventurous.
Fast-forward: I’m now 50. My life has become one boring activity after another, over and over and over, until I die.
“There has to be a way out of this,” I think to myself. “I can’t live out the rest of my life being bored.”
So I recently read through The Ruthless Elimination Of Hurry by John Mark Comer. It’s a challenging read, especially for the modern generation. His writing style is very hipster-ish, and he’s up to date with all the cool Gen Z catchphrases. But underneath all that, I think he’s on to something.
We need to slow down.
For mental, physical, and spiritual reasons, we (as a people) need to stop thinking it’s okay to run from distraction to distraction, and just…. slow down.
I’ve written ad nauseum about minimalism.
But I think it’s come time to live it, not just write about it.
Did you know, I had plans over 3 years ago to convert my personal blog to a static HTML site? Because I don’t care about all the cool little gadgets and gizmos and menus. I want simplicity.
I’m constantly fighting the urge to fix up second hand cars- to buy more music equipment that collects dust- to have more books to line my bookshelves with. But I don’t need any of it. I want it, but I don’t need it.
I want to get rid of my smartphone, get rid of my computers, get rid of my music gear, get rid of everything. I just want to live in a tent in the woods and make campfires every day.
Let’s be honest- I’m not going to do that. But how do I use what I have as a minimalist? Or maybe I should call it being a “simplicitist.” Because simple is better.
I had a wi-fi access point installed in my house because at one point, we had a dedicated web filter computer. Got rid of the computer, but I still had the access point going, because it was just easier to leave it there. Yesterday, I finally got around to removing it. And you know what? Things are 1% simpler now.
Realistically, I’m not going to be recording albums while mobile. So why do I need a portable recorder and stuff? Answer: I don’t. It’s nice to have it, but I don’t need it to make music.
I have a lot of things I don’t need. And the more things I have that I don’t need, the more I have to make room for them in my life. And the less mental space I have, the less time and energy I have to spend on things that matter- like taking care of my wife. Or my spiritual growth. Or playing with my grandkids.
I don’t know what that’s going to look like over the next few months and years, but it’s going to have to change.
I keep saying I’m going to change- to simplify- but I never do it.
We’ll see.