The maps in our heads are probably too big
And maybe that’s just too much
It’s 1200 BC. You’re part of a small tribe of 120 people on some river bank. Let’s call this tribe ST1200. It’s a beautiful tropical paradise your tribe lives in. You have your typical friendly tribes and enemy tribes. You trade with your friendly tribes, seeing them a couple of times a year maybe. The enemy tribes? You try to avoid any encounters with those idiots. But it happens a few times anyway when you are both fighting to hunt the same lunch.
The ST1200 has it’s own culture and traditions, their own language, and their own stories. You, as a part of this tribe, know everyone by name, know their histories. You all are mostly in alignment most of the time. You deeply know the nature and the environment you live in. The hills, trees, seasons, rivers and sunsets.
But for the most part, that’s pretty much it. Your world is just these pockets of ideas. Your ideas of your people, your God, your fears, environment, and ways of life. These ideas stay largely unchanged throughout your lifetime. Change is slow, life is slow. Your map of how to navigate the world is built slowly, and once built, it will serve you well all your life.
This just isn’t the case today.
Today, you’re born. You go to school where you learn languages, social structures that existed the last few millennia, history, their ideas, scientific developments, political developments, your cultures, other cultures. You learn how to operate 20,000 different objects, and how to repair these objects. You learn about your govt, healthcare, and much much more. Oh, in between you learn physical skills, and driving too. And then suddenly you’re eligible to vote, so now go and learn about all the important current issues on the ballot and related history. All this as the internet and media are constantly vying for your attention and calling you names.
In this absolute mess of knowledge and chaos, you have figure out your family, personal relationships, A CAREER that is socially respectable, pays well and keeps you not miserable. To get these you somehow figure out a path that works for you. It works for a few of years, but that path is now outdated. You look up and your world is different. You have to figure out another career again or “Upskill” to revive your old one. All your friends are gone and you’re also somewhere else, trying to fit in into a different culture, a different family, different company.
What you thought was ok yesterday is now cringe. What you said yesterday is unacceptable today. You cannot say anything without reading your histories and your “properly researched sources”. Words now move mountains and you are trying to relearn the language you have spoken your whole life. Somewhere there is one movement against something, 8000 miles away there’s another. You struggle to keep up with this to seem informed and not say the wrong thing to some stranger at a party. You are smart. You can handle this, you’re learning. You show up at the party and you say something.
But boss, some new development has happened during your drive to the party. What you said was SO insensitive.
HOW IS THIS FUCKING NOT MADNESS???
The world and the internet are constantly trying to shove ideas into your map of the world. Your map is constantly getting outdated. There are new maps, new places, old maps being redrawn, torn down and brought up again.
Phew.
Lets breathe. Deep inhale, slooooow exhale.
Our poor brain! Our poor mind! Don’t you ever want to shut that shit out for a while?
Shut your modem. Turn on Airplane mode. Step out for a bit.
You see that your map is your house, family, your neighbours, city, and your work. They don’t change all that much. The streets mostly look the same year to year. Neighbours dog Bhaira still comes up to you to say hello. Your father is still conservative and your cousin is still an asshole. These things are enough sometimes, and everything else is as good as fiction.
Let’s disconnect often and bring some sanity back, so we can make the map in our minds clean and simple.
