Short for money but you wanna drive a fancy car you cannot afford – so you sign a lease for an even fancier car because you were sold on it! Seriously?
Then money gets tighter! You become more miserable.
You do not make 7 figures a year but still want to travel first class and would pay a year’s salary for a single trip on a private jet to say you did so! To say you opted for an experience! To post online! What kind of an empty abyss are you filling? Who are you trying to impress?
Except for a genuine few, who need the newest “Phone” “Pro” every iteration and update? Why are you paying for corporate types; for goods that do not change your qualify of life nor lifestyle whatsoever? Are advertisements stronger than your self control?
Do you have an opinion? Do you know purpose? Do you have any?
The following though process is not a run on and not a “flight of ideas”. The pandemic of ADHD is real. The productivity of today’s generation is maximized at work but potentially wasted in one’s personal life. Our ability to connect with the outdoors and with the face-to-face community is becoming weaker. Our social skills are becoming emojis expertise. It is not a conspiracy. It is just how business makes more sense. Thus, you too wanna make sure to do what makes more sense for you and your family. You and I are not cattle. I do not believe we can be herded, even if we were a little. I mean I believe in our ability to take decisions and make things happen. I hope you find this exploration beneficial and introspective. I also wish to read your arguments and learn from your comments.
In older, and more “natural” human upbringing, historically speaking: the father and mother live with their kids in an open village, a community, open fields…. There is a supposed sense of safety. Yet, there was far more exposure to “elements” and a sense of experimentation of that immediate environment. Kids would grow and gain maturity and become bonded to their environment and community.
Contrast that to today: the exposure to intellectual diversity – a good thing, The advent of information technology – a good thing too! How did that affect my generation who witnessed the birth of internet and even more how will it affect my kids? How will it affect mental development in terms of our ability to experiment, and growth. The variables are too many and time is too limited. Before I start to experiment with a concept, even mentally explore it, I feel time is up and I am exposed to a new stimulant. I am referring to the modern day information dumb on kids primarily and adults alike. I do not deny that I find my toddles far smarter that what I remember being when I was even older than toddlerhood. My kids speak two languages just by watching TV; Sure, both I and their mom will spend time in front of the TV with them and we intentionally exposed them to both Arabic and English, but still. It’s cool….
However!!
However, take a sharp turn and look at how we adults feel when we are overwhelmed with thoughts. One feels distracted or even ‘blurry’. How do our kids manage? Do they develop a far more concrete skill of ignoring and filtering than we once did? How does that affect their ability to disconnect and explore their environment? is it too boring to be in a yard for half an hour? Let’s take a look at teenagers; how many of them will go out and build a tree-house or a camp-fire compared to 1 and then 2 generations before when all other factors except IT information dumb and social media being constant.
The question I postulate: is it really dangerous? or am I underestimating the human mind and it’s capacity? Should I trust my kids when they decide to live in a virtual world and do a virtual job for one example? Who knows better?
Mind you, the state of advertisement and capitalistic takeover of consumer lives and livelihood is not hid from me. I am taking that into account. However, I refuse to think that a free market offering can survive if people do not desire it. In that sense we have power…
Brings me to my next thought – in the older days, a blacksmith will finish a hard day’s work and go home to rest or go out with friends or do something with his family to ‘escape life’ so that he is energized for tomorrow. The carpenter did something similar, so did the farmer and so on. Heck the concept of a family dinner may have been all to pour into that notion of ‘let’s re-energize for tomorrow. Because when one is done, he should be ready to go back at it again. They entertained to work and build. Today we work hard, probably harder than centuries ago (that is arguable of course) – but I observe that the thing that keeps me going sometime is the notion that I will have fun after work today. I am certain that is not what humans are meant to do.
Furthermore, stimulants are so common that my fun can be social media! not a step taken. No real activity done. If we are creatures whose sole purpose is to be entertained, stimulated or ‘escape life’ then why are we alive?
How does that potentially affect civilization? Are we meant to be mindless consumers and have no goals? I say no goals because if you are getting enough stimulation and a sense of immediate reward every day that I personally find focusing on something large and having the discipline to keep focus despite NOT have immediate gratification in the wait for something bigger down the line – That task becomes too expensive in terms of ‘opportunity cost’ – the opportunity of a 100 reals watched over and hour mindlessly, but yet kinda fun!
Let’s now look at young adults and their sense of confidence. A confidence that I argue is far weaker compared to their ancestors who mastered fishing, hunting, farming, building, whatever skills they honed. They may have a much larger quantity of skills but non too sharp in one field that they can be called masters. Young adults, who identify by their job title or degree. A title that could be stripped away from them anytime by being laid off in a highly competitive institution or another. Those young adults’ resilience and willingness to start over is also duller. If they start being comfortable in a lifestyle, they are not willing to start over. They are too attached to the luxuries of the world… A simple life won’t cut it anymore. Ironically, the grand majority only have the affiliation with luxury through their phone screens, and have 0 to less than a 1000 dollars to their name in most situations. Otherwise, they may be deeply in debt! Thus, making them better slaves to their current employment with no real sense of aspiration other than climb the career ladder in that place!
How much did globalization actually bring us together? – short of stereotyping each other and having the sense that we already know each other… We already think we know each other that truly exploring different cultures feels like a boring adventure. There is a false sense that there is nothing new to learn. It’s a boring adventure…
Now back to the strange title of this article I chose: do we owe it to our parents to take bold decisions of our own? It maybe true that building security for our new young families in terms of buying a house on a mortgage, having a good salary and a car and a stable 8 to 4 job is what our parents taught us to/ wish us to have. However, times have been changing faster than time itself for the past few generations that I think we should learn the value of producing something of lasting impact, even if it is a publication or a product. A piece of art even. We should learn the value of depersonalizing our achievements and learn to not aim for personal glory. Thus, take the decision of breaking of the social construct that “I have a place in the machine” because I argue the current social machine is dangerous and while it gives you the pretend feel that you are “woke” and “free”, and can make your dreams come true… It all just makes you a better slave, not free; not at all, even with all the luxuries of the world.
These are just thoughts. They may change as I learn and experience more things.
However, as long as I feel I can’t focus long enough to formulate and/or follow a thought process such as the one in this very article, then I am too consumed by the stimulation of the world and the fake experiences the companies convince us to be our modern world experiences. As long as I can’t focus long enough to read a novel in a couple of days or learn my specialty in a disciplined manner.. As long as I can’t sleep when I put my head to the pillow after a long day at work.. As long as I eat hyper-caloric meals that don’t fill me or give me a sense of satisfaction.. As long as a conversation with someone I know I love is not stimulating enough that I would rather keep scrolling … As long as I get episodes of anxiety unprovoked .. As long as these signs exist, I know that I am not free.
Most importantly, as long as I think as a teen or a tween that I know better without having travelled the world and listened to the enemies of my parents and learnt the arguments of my adversaries and understood the common humanity of us all lies in our needs to connect to one another without ever loosing my sense of justice… We may, just to postulate, be herded like cattle to think in a few ways that benefit a few different groups (whether we agree or disagree).
The ability to feel that your skills are honed today is less. Reason: because you can open an app or a browser and find many others who are doing the thing that should define ‘you’ but doing it far far better. You only see the results. You never see the full process. That is an example of how unreal our experiences are. We live experiences through our screen. The live we live is real. But you are not doing something real with it! It is really being expended not being real! for real!
أسندَ خدهُ على كفِ يدهِ … و ألصقَ جبهتهُ على زجاجِ النافذةِ، و نظرهُ شاردٌ …. كنسرٍ محلقٍ في الأعالي، و ليس له من وجهةٍ يقصدها … سوى فردِ جناحيهِ و السباحة في الفضاءِ الأزرقِ الرحيب. مرت من أمامهِ كحسناءٍ قطعت على العابدِ خشوعهُ … فتسمرتْ عيناهُ على الفراشةِ الملونةِ بالأحمرِ و البرتقالي و الأصفرِ و الأسودِ …. الذي زاد من جمالها و أظهره. و آه من الأسودِ …. و كلُ ما يحملهُ من المعاني و الذكرياتِ المؤلمةِ، و التي لولاها ما عرفَ قيمةِ و جمالِ الأحداثِ و الذكرياتِ والأشياءِ الملونةِ بالفرحِ في حياتهِ ….. و التي يفتقدها الآن
تهادت ببطءٍ شديدٍ على تلكَ النبتةِ الصغيرةِ على حافةِ الشرفة، و أرسلتْ قرني الاستشعار الى داخلِ الزهرةِ، و بدأتْ تمتصُ رحيقها … وحركتْ جناحيها بدلالٍ و تؤدةٍ، كأنما تحسُ بأنَ هناكَ من يراقبها. سبحانَ الله قالها …. و قد انفرجتْ شفتاه عن ابتسامةٍ تاهت في ضلوعهِ منذ أسابيع. عّدَّل من جلستهِ…
This video discusses the concept for why a non-artist should get a digital pen display. I choose Wacom Cintiq because it is a device I bought. Wacom is also (to the best of knowledge) the best at what they do.
The difference between this and a 2 in 1 with digital pen input (e.g. Microsoft Surface/ iPad with Apple Pencil) is the fact that you can connect to any computer. You will have the ability to upgrade performance by upgrading your computer down the line. You will also be able to use your operating system of choice. Clearly mobility will be an issue.
Let us see how this experiment is going to go! Unboxing the iPad Pro 2020 and Apple Pencil coupled with using the first gen Apple Pencil with a 2018 iPad – I will make my final verdicts on which digital pen technology is the best, and then make my recommendations.
There are many online reviews about digital pens, whether called a stylus, a digitizer, an active pen or other. Those reviews are geared towards artists and graphics professionals or enthusiasts. Some of my favorite channels are: Brad Colbow, Paperless X, Ali Abdaal, MobileTechReview, and many more that I will refer to in time. HOWEVER: We, the note takers, students, teachers, doctors, engineers, and arguably other professionals have other needs, some partially or not addressed, and others come with hefty price tags. This is a niche review series about optimizing workflow, and productivity especially in what pertains to an active and on-the-go professional. We will discuss the compromises and the pinpoints, that I argue should not exist in 2020 or later. All with the concept of a pen as the center of discussion. Lets go on a journey of personal experience, the history behind the technology, the unexplored demand, review the current technology and the shortcomings in the ‘sector’ (if you can call it a sector).
There is a man that believes that you must not wear footwear! Interesting. Here is my thought: the human body is incredibly adaptable. Which makes me wonder if any notion that we must do one thing vs another is truely valid – eat this don’t eat that, exercise this way not that…. or is simply a matter of balance and upper and lower limits within which the body thrives?
Continuing on with this interesting fight of thought: Oils. food oils; I have been (in my professional opinion as an internist) absolutely against consuming any large quantity of oil and certainly advice my patients to avoid them in cooking – but maybe it is a pure matter of caloric balance? (to be the devil’s advocate)
Arguments will begin regarding atherosclerosis, and cardiovascular risk with a tremendous amount of studies to be quoted – TREMENDOUS I say, because it is not just medical journals, but also food journals – and scientific journal (basic lab research) …
OK, let me continue to take you on a roller coaster: watch this video (not affiliated, not sponsored, I just like it):
should we ever fry?
Now think with me: what about the notion that each person should try to connect with their bodies: mediate, being Zen with oneself, and by that be able to know what to do and what not to do to continue to have a healthy body? Nay? others indeed argue that no stimulants, and no excess energy and minimalist lifestyle especially in what pertains to consumption is the only way to manage to reach a state of connectedness and elevates the spirituality of said individual.
OK – let’s keep going on this train of thought: how much does spirituality actually play in the physical and mental well being of an individual?
should I stop drinking coffee?
that was also intersting…
Do not be afraid to investigate things that you do not necessary believe in, because otherwise you run the risk to not know
I am intending to talk about living successfully and how we manage to face our obstacles to reach our goals. Everyone, I think, has some dream. Why don’t we all achieve our dreams? Because of the obstacles that we face!
Nelson Mandela had once said: “it always seems impossible until it is done”
It is hard enough as it is to have to overcome an obstacle. Even though in today’s time and age, with the tools of information availability and technological advancements, one would think overcoming obstacles would be easier. However, those very tools also make distraction highly possible.
Bill Gates, in Netflix’s Inside Bill’s Brain hints at the fact that he does not indulge in ‘escaping behavior’. His free time is spent studying. his vacation time is spent contemplating. He continues to face his problems head on and with great patience… This has inspired this post.
Hence, I make the following notes to self: 1. do not loose sight of your goals and don’t let others tell you what your goals are. 2. do not escape (excess fun, excess spending, following every changing trends, social media, movies, smoking, drugs, alcohol, or even a healthy activities that maybe excessively overdone to avert facing reality) 3. sit down, clear your mind, isolate yourself as you make a plan 4. then possibly discuss and evaluate your plans with someone you trust 5. keep patient, very patient! people will oppose you, time and conditions maybe unsuitable, you maybe tiered… Just keep patient and do not give up. 6. don’t care too much about outcome, care about what you can do now ONLY. 7. No effort is lost, even if it is not realized in the moment… 8. do not ever do anything just to seek attention. your goals should be for an objective outcome not people’s attention. don’t be shallow. 9. do what you both like and believe in 10. leave that which harms you behind and never look back. Even if it is a person. heck, even if it is a job. 11. learn to be proficient 12. read
13. and contemplate on what you read 14. write to yourself, no one understands you as you do. 15. you are not always right and that is OK, just learn to criticize yourself and accept that you are wrong when you are wrong 16. but make sure you also love yourself 17. live in the moment and pay attention 18. and pay attention to how others feel (yes, seek to pay more attention that you get attention) – it is better to be away from the public eyes sometimes (arguably most of the time). 19. be happy. sleep well. sleep a lot. make sure your sleep is regular and not erratic. make sure your quality of sleep is good
20. eat healthy, and eat when you are hungry, preferably with a company of real people, and not with the TV/ screen nor alone. 21. get exposed to sunlight 22. resist temptations 23. don’t overspend 24. but make sure you always dress very well and be presentable, even if you are working from home, because you deserve to look good. …………. If you are overwhelmed, take a deep breath, lay down for a moment and then smile even if for no reason, and go back to work.
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