My digital obesity scare
On a recent trip to Sydney, this piece of art caught my eye at MCA. Mainly because it was the brightest artwork in the building and because I am a sucker for all things shiny. But as I stared at it longer, the illuminated books seemed to narrate something deeper.
Old vs new
Traditional vs contemporary
Reality vs distortion
Shiny vs dull
Free vs bound
Connection vs disconnection
Digital vs analogue
All this wildly arty juxtapositioning got me thinking about my own life and how the digital age has impacted me. With phones, tablets, laptops and connected devices, I have more access to freedom than ever before. I can escape my reality with the click of a button, find a new restaurant when my local is boring me and buy instant ‘happiness’ at no seeming cost. This freedom has multiplied my world and expanded it beyond traditional means, but has it enhanced my life?
As I stare at these illuminated books, I ponder how the facilitation of hyper-connectivity has ACTUALLY changed my life. Sure, I can do anything I want whenever I want, but what has it really meant?
I concluded that this ‘freedom’ has manifested into a lifestyle where I now cannot live without checking my phone every 2 minutes. I have a constant desire for validation from others fed through my addiction to social media. I don’t feel like I’m reading unless a glow is illuminated from the words. I can’t eat, run, sleep, live or breathe without my phone being by my side. I google before I think… the list is endless. Is this the freedom I envisaged the day I received my first smart phone? No.
It seems that without digital I am nothing, but with it, I am even less.
Reflecting on the impact, there are three things I have noticed, relating to the mind, body and spirit.
1. My mind is equivalent to a big, fat, obese man.
My mind is being constantly underworked and overfed. All this stimulation from the incessant consumption of videos, content, statuses, pictures, podcasts and music has emaciated my mind. My mental diet is not wholesome, rich and healthy. I. Am. Mentally. Obese. There I said it.
I just consume, consume, consume without actually exercising my mind or feeding it the nutrient rich food it needs to remain healthy. I feel like I need to go on Jamie’s Food Revolution to get an obesity assessment like all those fat kids in Britain who eat hash browns, pancakes and 3 litres of coke for breakfast.
2. My obese mind consequently starves my body of energy.
All this freedom is just too much and as a result I have become permanently sleepy. I wander through life like a tired zombie lulled into an apathetic hyper reality.
Guy Debord highlights in his manifesto ‘The Society of the Spectacle’, ‘The spectacle is the nightmare of imprisoned modern society which ultimately expresses nothing more than its desire to sleep. The spectacle is the guardian of sleep.’
I think the modern manifestation of the spectacle is the brilliant consumeristic blur commissioned by the digital age. It has blurred my desire and ability to act and be present in my daily life, shackling me to a shallow, punitive reality. The amount of content I consume daily that dictates the terms of my lifestyle- how I should act, what I should wear, who I should talk to, who I should love, how I should treat people. It seems the modern spectacle is the central food source for our minds and is creating a sense of slumber.
My favourite person in the world once said ‘For where your treasure is, there you heart will also be.’ I think much of my treasure (time, money, experiences) has been locked up in this modern spectacle. Therefore my heart and body have been suffocated from the best and true energy source resulting in a fat mind and a lack of general energy.
3. My obese mind isn’t allowing me to exercise my best self.
I have found that my obese mind creates a desire to permanently be on autopilot. This constant state of absent minded living creates a serious distraction from searching for a passionate and purpose driven life.
This distracted passion and purpose leads to a slumber and dependency on ‘junk food’ to keep us alive. Our minds were not meant for this and our hands were not meant for digital shackles. We were made for so much more.
When I think of my own experiences and the times I have been most alive, my life has involved reading, learning, growing, engaging spiritually with my faith and just generally being empowered to dominate at life!
As one of my good friends Paul once said, ‘Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will.’
When we renew our mind with truth, instead of junk food, we learn of the satisfaction it can bring. Instead of chasing the fleeting satisfaction of the world to unsuccessfully fulfil a yearning need, we can test and discern the things that will actually offer us freedom.
Ok. So. Digital is evil and I need to rid EVERY digital thing from my life?
False. But what I do think I need is to stress test the ‘freedom’ of digital and start to put healthy boundaries on my consumption to start reclaiming my purpose driven life.
I have a choice daily to either lull myself into a spectacle driven slumber, or I can choose life-giving food sources that will help me to live the purpose driven life I was put on this Earth to fulfil.
My mind will no longer be starved of nutrients by digital food. I am going to get back to the true and perfect food source. Jesus, His teachings, His friends’ books and content from more contemporary observers of Him. I will also inconvenience myself and go to more Art galleries, museums and events that showcase culture, history and the arts. I will read books that challenge the way I live and what I believe. I will spend time chatting with people face to face and ask questions that go deeper. I will take a phone sabbath, locking my devices in a drawer, go for a drive and try to navigate the streets without Siri dictating my movements.
I will also give my mind some breathing room, instead of being on my phone as I wait for the lift or when I am walking, I will engage with my surroundings and use my mind to do what it does best- think.
I am going to learn to use meditation to empty my mind of trash and fill it with goodness. This space will sharpen my mind and give me a chance to test and approve God’s will for my life.
So I think this means I am going on a digital diet. Please wish me luck. Next time you see me I will be a lean mean mind machine!
