Slowing down

I want to stop caring about what’s happening in the world and almost shut myself off from all the noise it keeps producing and publishing on the internet.

Is that even possible while still being on the internet? I think not.

I no longer want to stay connected to the internet all the time. With that no longer possible for me - my work does not allow me that luxury - can I stop reading mundane stuff sold as breaking news while I am on the internet? No news website. Or social news aggregation platforms. I stop reading them every now and then, but eventually fall back into the bad habit of reaching out to the same bottomless pits I so dearly want to avoid. They demand my attention, and I naively lend it to them.

What’s the harm if I don’t find out what new model is launched? Or how much better is it? Or who is hacked? Or what did some selfish leader say to fuel his ego? What new accidents happened due to incompetence? Or worse, human negligence? It does not affect my life if I decide it should not.

I should be free of the urge.

If that means I am not up to date on world events, so be it. That I would not have much to add to a conversation, so be it. That I would be considered to be crawling while the world around me zooms past, so be it.

I choose to slow down.