10th of July 2023
~
Dear Reader,
I am trying to convince myself that digital minimalism should be carried out, at least for myself. Do you sometimes find yourself scrolling aimlessly on Facebook or Instagram and scrolling without any given goal of why you are doing it? I remember our college professor told us before that aimlessly scrolling through Facebook can cause us to lose focus when we put ourselves back in reality.
It decreases our ability to focus in real life. If you hear about Carl Newport’s book ‘Digital Minimalism,’ he discusses the vitality of not having too much digital engagement because it affects our mental health. I also streamed some youtube videos and saw their testimonials about getting away from social media and how it drastically changed their lives.
I tried not opening my Facebook and engaging through my newsfeed, except if I had to open it and upload these letters. Other than that, I am closing it most of the time. I have done it since Saturday. It was such a good decision. However, earlier, when I opened it to post a story about a small business I was establishing (by which I needed to upload such a story to attract more customers), I accidentally saw one of my friend’s stories.
Long story short, it was a glamour post of most things a typical person wants to have. Unnoticingly, I caught a glimpse of my heart wanting such a thing too! But since I have been reading a topic about CONTENTMENT earlier, I bugged the thought off. I was saying that GOD does not want me to think about that. I closed my Facebook app instantly and found myself staring at the ceiling.
From there, I have understood how terrible social media could be because whether we notice it or not, it often eats us inside. It makes us dissatisfied and, worse, compare ourselves to others. With my knowledge about contentment which was graciously given to me earlier this morning, I told myself I have just enough because I have GOD.
I also talked to Paul about such feelings, came up with another thought from the same issue, and raised this question. Will other people feel the same thing, too, if I share something grand on my end? Possibly! So I tried to test my intentions to see if what I posted and will be posting is nothing but a mere desire to please people or just happily share it for them to get inspiration, but I know, as human as we are, we are more inclined to the first one.
I love this quote from the booklet I was reading. It reads,
“True contentment will settle, confirm, and establish the soul.”
–William Swan Plumer (1802-1880)
Contentment does not completely devoid us of noble ambitions, no. It is a state of mind and heart that makes us grateful for what we have on our platter at this very moment and makes us thankful beyond a reasonable doubt. This flourishes and makes us better people away from selfishness and covetousness, thus making us better and better each day.
…and I am taking what Carl Newport’s thought about digital minimalism. It truly decreases our inclination to be discontented, and except to that notion which I am agreeing, it makes us see what the real world is, really.
Have a peaceful night!
Grace be upon you.
Sincerely,
Kryz.