I tend to worry about a lot, with many being things that I don't have a lot of influence over - if any. This isn't healthy in many ways, but I also think that it can be unhealthy not to have at least some understanding of some of the challenges we face as a species, because whether I can affect it or not, knowing what is impacting me is better than being impacted unknowingly. It is like having a mystery illness, you are still sick, but don't know why.
I also think that when we live in a bubble, we don't get an accurate account of the world outside, which is why silos are so dangerous. We end up getting accustomed to a particular set of conditions that become our reality and behave accordingly, building habits that will be hard to change. If we are then moved into a different set of conditions that our habits aren't aligned to, we will not only have to change, but we will be less able to flex for the change, due to lack of practice. And, we will be far more resistant to change anyway, because of the lack of experience and exposure to alternative conditions.
As with pretty much everything in life, there has to be some kind of balance. A balanced diet, a balanced lifestyle, a balanced working environment and a balance in structure. Too rigid and we stagnate, too loose and we do not build the habits that will help us grow. And I think that for a lot of us now, we have a lot of structure in some areas, but that framework is so we will have a consistent content flow that keeps us siloed. But in those structures, we aren't learning active habits, we are conditioning consumptive habits.
And the content is within boundaries of the algorithms, but is also "random" for us in the sense that they are designed to keep us scrolling, hoping to come across something interesting. It creates a gamblers addiction, except there really is no chance of winning anything of value. At least a gambling addict might score some money.
We are all in environmental bubbles of some kind that shape us though. Like when I was talking to my aunty today she was saying about how the weather has been cool and it is harder to wake up in the morning. She lives in the tropics and the low temp was 21°C (69°F). Yet, because of her time living there, for her, it feels cold - even though it is a warm day for us here. We are also shaped by the availability of food and clean water, and the ease in which we are able to get it. And the impact of the political climate and state of society.
What are the biggest influences on you currently?
It is easy to think about what comes to mind first, where it might be family or work or something else. But that automatic response might not fit reality very well. For instance, what is the biggest influence on you learning a new skill? Or writing a book? Or getting fit?
How much content do you consume?
How many hours per week are spent passively consuming without actively learning something intentionally? When you read a book, watch a show, or play a game, what is your point before consuming? Don't rewrite history here. But for most of us, we probably spend far too long consuming very low reward content and getting nothing much out of it.
What else could you do with half of that time?
As I see it for most people, the biggest influences on our life comes from our own behaviours in what we do, and what we don't do. If we were to behave with intention, we likely wouldn't spend very much time consuming what we do, whether that be what we watch or what we eat. We would build balance into our structured environments to give us enough security at times, and enough random opportunity at others so that wee can develop and improve our abilities.
But living in the bubble is easier, because it is more like a set and forget environment which means that once we are conditioned, we needn't be challenged anymore, and we don't have to change.
Until we do.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
Be part of the Hive discussion.
And you may be rewarded.
