The Context Machine
I seriously love Instagram reels. I've probably watched so many that whatever high horse I was on from deleting TikTok has now jumped off a cliff and horrifically died.
The new cultural arbiters are here. I don't see my enjoyment in that being taken away. Yet I can't help but feel that something is missing — that I'm wasting my time on a superficial approximation of social interaction rather than engaging with it.
Looking towards those who have spoken about the societal reasons that cause us to retreat is helpful. On Instagram, @omar.najjarine beautifully talks about how self-medication is the most logical path forward in a sick society. Dr. K of Healthy Gamer similarly points out the underlying issues of loneliness and widespread dissatisfaction that lead us to escapism. Excessive dependence on technology is usually the result of an inability to interact with life.
Beyond identifying symptoms, though, Omar and Dr. K employ a much-appreciated spiritual and scientific balm to the wounds of isolation. There is, in fact, a toolkit available to us for reclaiming life. With baby steps, I was first introduced to the power of noticing — feeling with every sense at my disposal.
An exercise: view the mind as the sky. Each thought is a cloud that flutters by. If it rains, perhaps that is the inner sadness present within us all. The sky, however, remains as it is. It holds the clouds, but it isn't the clouds. Such is awareness. My days have been far less dominated by anguish after the realization that my thoughts weren't me, and that I could hold them without contempt or joyful attachment.