I have hitherto underestimated the impact that the content I consume has on my thoughts, and by extension my life. At the end of a great day yesterday, I decided to read a bit, but instead of going to my Kindle and reading that book I’ve been putting off for ages, I decided to let Twitter do the picking for me.
One Tweet caught my eye right away - it shed some light on the pressing drug overdose problem endemic in several parts of the US that do not grab mainstream attention. 10 mins later, I found myself watching a short documentary on the problem. 20 mins later, I was watching an analysis of the deep, dark movie, Requiem for a Dream.
Public Service Announcement: Do not watch Requiem for a Dream. Do not even watch an analysis of it. But absolutely listen to Lux Aeterna - it will motivate you to solve every problem in your life, and that high will last about 60 minutes at first, and with each passing listen, that high gets shorter. A half-life pattern of a high that perfectly mirrors the movie’s content.
Now back to the main rant: I struggled to stay asleep, and as I write this, it is 5:30 AM on a Sunday. In both my dreams and in a semi-awake state, I found myself repeatedly asking “Why”.
The deep Why-s:
Why is the drug overdose problem not yet solved?
Why do people get lured into that path despite knowing the dangers beforehand?
The shallow Why-s:
Why does this depressing movie exist?
Why did I just watch an analysis of that movie?
Looking back, I am happy to be a little more knowledgeable and scared about the drug overdose problem. I indeed am curious to learn more and may choose to do something to help assuage that problem in a small way. But I could have done without a graphic, cinematic, funereal injection of it.
(Cue Lux Aeterna music for the final paragraph…)
I’m not urging you to make the same choice. But I am urging you to make a choice - don’t default into going down rabbit-holes. Don’t leave so much to serendipity that you lose agency. Filter carefully and selfishly what you consume, such that each unit brings you a little closer to the person you want to be.