The role of technology in our lives and on our culture is something I have always been both interested in and wary of. Even though I loved MySpace and chatting on AIM back in the day, and my favorite movie is You've Got Mail.
Another thing I've been interested in is the relationship between creativity and consumption. I think it's easy to fall into the habit of consuming--of being a consumer--rather than actively creating, which takes much more effort and energy. Technology makes it easy to be more of a consumer than a creator.
I've also written about the necessity of inspiration, and how I think sometimes we can sacrifice this need because of our addiction to information.
My experiences with practicing mindfulness and minimalism have allowed me to experience and crave more intentional and conscious consumption. To moderate my reliance on technology and monitor my habits. Although I think I've prevented it from consuming me, there is still one thing I've decided to eliminate: email subscriptions.
I've gone through several periods of purging--in which I attempt to unsubscribe from the masses of email newsletters I've subscribed or otherwise opted in to, usually providing my email address to receive some sort of free content. But I've decided to give it up. I'm opting out. Unsubscribing.
The thing that's funny about it is--I've heard a lot about how hard it is to get rid of "stuff," material possessions we've purchased and accumulated. I've even heard the concept discussed in relation to opportunities (via Greg McKeown, author of Essentialism). We are biased in a way that makes it extremely difficult to part with or give up either things or opportunities we've acquired, simply because they're ours: we overvalue what we own. But it's funny to see this happen even in my decision to prune my inbox.
"But I really like this person,"
"What if I miss out on something?"
"What if I want to resubscribe later?"
These are some of my thoughts merely from considering giving up email subscriptions.
But, as one of my newly discovered teachers, Kyle Cease, says, "Your mind can only measure what you will lose, but it can't see what you will gain."
While I won't attempt to predict what I will gain, I do think that having or creating voids can be a good thing--because then we are in a place where new things can flow in. Maybe the lack or absence of content in the form of constant emails will give me the mental (and virtual) space I need to access the necessary inspiration.
Another thing I've been interested in is the relationship between creativity and consumption. I think it's easy to fall into the habit of consuming--of being a consumer--rather than actively creating, which takes much more effort and energy. Technology makes it easy to be more of a consumer than a creator.
I've also written about the necessity of inspiration, and how I think sometimes we can sacrifice this need because of our addiction to information.
My experiences with practicing mindfulness and minimalism have allowed me to experience and crave more intentional and conscious consumption. To moderate my reliance on technology and monitor my habits. Although I think I've prevented it from consuming me, there is still one thing I've decided to eliminate: email subscriptions.
I've gone through several periods of purging--in which I attempt to unsubscribe from the masses of email newsletters I've subscribed or otherwise opted in to, usually providing my email address to receive some sort of free content. But I've decided to give it up. I'm opting out. Unsubscribing.
The thing that's funny about it is--I've heard a lot about how hard it is to get rid of "stuff," material possessions we've purchased and accumulated. I've even heard the concept discussed in relation to opportunities (via Greg McKeown, author of Essentialism). We are biased in a way that makes it extremely difficult to part with or give up either things or opportunities we've acquired, simply because they're ours: we overvalue what we own. But it's funny to see this happen even in my decision to prune my inbox.
"But I really like this person,"
"What if I miss out on something?"
"What if I want to resubscribe later?"
These are some of my thoughts merely from considering giving up email subscriptions.
But, as one of my newly discovered teachers, Kyle Cease, says, "Your mind can only measure what you will lose, but it can't see what you will gain."
While I won't attempt to predict what I will gain, I do think that having or creating voids can be a good thing--because then we are in a place where new things can flow in. Maybe the lack or absence of content in the form of constant emails will give me the mental (and virtual) space I need to access the necessary inspiration.
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