Life Lessons
Wage War Against the Deadly Art of Nonliving
A grave warning for the Web3 community
A line from Arthur Gordon’s, A Touch of Wonder has been stuck on my mind for some time now. “Why risk pneumonia when you can sit by the fire and watch the world go by on television?”
Watch the world go by on television?! This line was written in 1974, fast-froward 48 years to 2022, and it might pertain to “watching the world go by on my phone.”
“Is the deadly art of nonliving our greatest threat?” How much of our daily time is spent engaged in meaningless distractions, and what toll does that take on our psychological well-being? Are we avoiding the wonders of life by intentionally “checking out”?
It’s easy to fall victim to the Web3 version of nonliving. I call it “overconsumption.” What can this look like? — your leisure, values, and recreation are sacrificed for the Discord, Twitter, and crypto price action gods. Web3 becomes all-consuming in your life, and your sleep, relationships, and wellness take a blow.
As we evolve toward Web3 with an increase in online time, I hope we don’t lose our connection to the natural world. I hope we don’t sell out and lose our appetite for adventure and risk by settling for sedentary comfort and safety.
The fix? Adventure in the natural world.
I recall a special memory of the time I drove a motor scooter home through a powerful thunderstorm. Just when preparing to leave my friend’s house in the late hours of a summer night, a cosmic boom of thunder blasted and shook the entire neighborhood. The torrential downpour quickly followed.
I geared up for the ride, buckled my helmet, and flipped down the clear visor. Soon, it would be nearly impossible to see through the rain-covered transparent plastic. Another friend hastily ran into his car to seek shelter from the monsoon. He offered me a ride. I kindly smiled and said, “No thanks.”
I was ready for an adventure. The little motor scooter boldly made haste as my body became more familiar with the chilly rain. My adrenaline spiked as the rain fell so thick it was nearly impossible to see. I blindly entered the storm.
Boom! More powerful thunder. CRACK! Bright bolts illuminated the sky as the giant trees violently danced along the road. For a moment, I heard my mother’s voice, “you’ll get sick!” Maybe mom, maybe.
All the while, I wore the cheesiest of cheesy smiles, had the time of my life, and had no regrets. I’d much rather do something risky and have an adventure than choose a safe and idle life. No one ever became GREAT by playing it safe. Now, this is living!
Life isn’t safe, nor is it intended to be. With adventure comes risk. With risk comes great reward. It turns out that discomfort and adversity are where the magic happens. We grow, we learn, we evolve, and we experience life.
Check-in with yourself. How much of your time is spent practicing the deadly art of nonliving by neglecting the excitement, wonder, and awe of the natural world? I encourage you to be honest with yourself about the amount of time spent in front of a screen. What are you missing out on? What would a grand adventure do for you?
To protect our mental health, we must find balance. We must wage war against the deadly art of nonliving but choosing a little discomfort and risk from time to time. You have two choices: 1) practice the deadly art of nonliving by always making “safe” choices. 2) Declare war on nonliving by choosing excitement, danger, and adventure in the natural world.
