The inspiration for this post comes from Smokey: On the World Our Lives and Personhood
But instead of inventing more “efficient” ways to cram things into our modern lives and cut out human interactions, instead of changing our lives to match the tempo and ethos of the modern world, what if we changed the world to fit our lives?
Some of these points below may seem silly, but they are about re-taking control. If you are using an app, you are at the mercy of the developer, if you do the same thing on paper, even if it is a small thing, you are retaking control. Also, it’s important to make tasks fun if we can and to bring an element of play into our efforts.
This is not about giving up on digital, just reigning it in.
Some of the points below are inward looking and some are outward looking. Both are needed: the inward looking things are important too, you can’t change your world unless you, yourself are grounded.
R. E. M. has a lot to say about this in their song lyrics for, “Stand”
Stand in the place where you live
Now face North
Think about direction, wonder why you haven’t before …
I encourage you to read all the lyrics at the link above and think about them in the context of grounding yourself.
15 Points of Analog and Reshaping Our World
- Subscribe to a local print, dead tree, printed, newspaper. Make that your news source. Make it as local to you as you can.
- Try writing letters, notes, postcards to friends and family in the mail.
- Buy a fountain pen and practice your cursive handwriting. See also #2 above.
- Buy a working vintage manual typewriter. See #2 above.
- Start a paper journal or commonplace book or PoIC.
- Quit Facebook.
- Unfollow anything or anybody you find toxic on Twitter.
- Read more books, especially those by independent authors. Increase pleasure reading.
- Make it a point to get out and congregate with other people regularly: worship services, town picnics, join a lodge or service organization, volunteer at the library or with Boy or Girl Scouts, meet with friends regularly for coffee and chat.
- Start attending your town government meetings: inform yourself about what is going on right where you live.
- You are not obliged to have “a cause”. You can if you want to but you are not obliged. Likewise, you do not have to have an opinion or position on everything.
- Draw something - anything. Make your own comic strip.
- Take a daily walk. Observe your neighborhood. Smell the flowers. Talk to neighbors.
- Start a garden or plant trees.
- Be still.
Wisdom comes with the ability to be still. Just look and listen. No more is needed. – Eckhart Tolle
Added: The list is just suggestions. Pick and chose whatever seems right for you. You don’t have to do them all.
This was also posted to /en/general.
