BEING PRESENT...

Reality is often crude, monotonous, and uninteresting. Most people seek a detour from their mundane lives, and oftentimes the internet provides the perfect escape. We find solace (and sometimes meaning) in virtual communities and entertainment through our endless feeds.

Unfortunately, reality is uncompromising and unperturbed by our disinterest in life and everything around us. No matter how far we drift from the corridors of reality, we always find our way back like a boomerang, to the bitter truth we seek to deflect.

For a long time, I have been disconnected from the realities of living in Nigeria, majorly because I play in virtual space. Only recently have I realised how much of a luxury this is because life out there in the real world is totally different. This has humbled me in so many ways, and I can empathise with those whose reality are harsher than mine

I do not want to paint a grim picture of the world I interact with daily. If anything it has opened my eyes to a lot of things I had barely paid attention to. I would say the last two months have been the most eventful of my life for the past 2-3 years. It has been as bad as I thought it would be but I have learnt so many valuable lessons and had fun moments as well.

A DETOUR…

Recently, I did a little social media purge. I delete all my social apps, well, except the ones that make me money. Yes, I know, money isn't everything and entertainment does have its utility, but I have realized that I use these social platforms as a distraction and they offer little utility, especially when compared to the time I spend on them.

For instance, when I am tired rather than taking a nap I binge on TikTok. The few hours I have to myself I spend online watching videos. These are productive man hours that could be used for something else like writing.

Also, I have been thinking of life before social media and how I escaped the world in a more productive way like reading or listening to the radio. These are things I don't do anymore--to my own detriment and my attention span keeps shrinking.

So my social media purge is my attempt to work on my dwindling attention span and also try to stay present. I will admit, it is pretty weird not having access to TikTok or any of the social platforms I use daily. I am limited to WhatsApp (because I have to talk to my partner), and my only source of entertainment currently is Netflix (fortunately I don't enjoy watching movies as I once did).

I am also trying to consume long-form content like podcasts and maybe experiment with reading. I do not have the time to read for long hours, but I will make out time to read a page or two in my spare time. That's far better than scrolling on TikTok for 2hours.

Also, I think this whole exercise will enable me to write more often. I have been struggling to stay consistent with my writing these days, so maybe this will help with that.

Time is a very scarce resource and it can easily elude us. Days turn into weeks; weeks into months; months into decades, and it all happens in a twinkle of an eye. We miss important moments or the chance to have important discussions because we are stuck on our screens living life vicariously through others.

Being mindful or present is a prerequisite to having a meaningful life. You can savour every moment and relive them when it matters. Be present.

Image Source