Day 018. Breaking the Scroll: 91 Days Off Social Media & Rediscovering Life IRL

A Millennial's Digital Detox Diaries: What if social media was a turned into a positivity machine instead?

📢❗🚨 We are nearly at the end of our series. 📢❗🚨

Hold on tight! It’s nearly the end of the month. A few important housekeeping notes.

I apologise for the flood of e-mails this month.

I do hope you’ve enjoyed most of it though. It probably has been more overwhelming than welcomed, so thank you to all of you who stayed on. I sadly, only lost one of you.

Good news!

Starting next week, I’ll only be sending you one email a week, which will include a recap on the week’s publishing. You won’t receive an email tomorrow, but I will be publishing something.

I’ll continue to publish Mondays through Fridays, to finish off this series, for the rest of October. You’ll just have to drop into the website or the app to stay up to date.

But, you’ll receive #ANEWWITHTHEHUE October edition, our Saturday monthly, direct via email.

I’ve had a lot of time to reflect on what I’d like to do differently the rest of the year. There are some exciting things coming for you, so do stay tuned!

As always, if you’re new here or just dropping by,…

…you can start to receive my newsletters directly in your inbox by subscribing today. Or, if you’re not ready to commit you can leave a one-off thank you here to show your support. You can also tweak your email settings here.

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Thanks @Reynardo Etenia Wongso, Unsplash.

How can we create a better future?

The world today is not the same as the one our parents knew.

We face unprecedented threats and increasingly interconnected global issues, but haven’t challenges always been part of the human experience?

Difficulty compels us to strive for something greater.
Discomfort builds fortitude.
Obstacles drive invention and innovation.
Struggle fosters resilience.
Hurdles enhance our durability.
Boredom sparks ingenious creativity.

Take a step back and truly observe the world we live in—we built all of this!

This is the story of humanity.

We ebb and flow between highs and lows,
experiencing both joy and deep sorrows.

Nothing is ever perfect.
The universe itself is imperfect.
Perfection is an illusion;
imperfection is constant.

This is the reality we must confront. Yet, contrasting realities can coexist simultaneously, which is what makes our world so fascinating.

There is chaos, but also peace;
depression, but also joy;
violence, but also harmony.

What happens if we spend most of our time dwelling on pessimism? If all our attention is consumed by negativity, what kind of reality are we nurturing?

The real question is, what kind of reality are we creating for ourselves? Are we merely reaping what we’ve sown? If we’ve built the world we currently inhabit, isn’t it possible to construct an entirely new experience?

Does the world feel disproportionately chaotic because of our skewed attention? What image are we reflecting in the mirror? What if there’s a way to change gears and alter our trajectory toward something better?

Just as we have shaped the reality we experience, how can we create a more hopeful and positive future for all?

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My hunch, we need more compassion, sympathy, and kindness; everyone experiences hardship—celebrities and billionaires included.

Perhaps what we need is to conserve our energy for thriving and channel our imagination into ideas that promote collective flourishing.

The effort doesn’t have to be grandiose, but everything hinges on the intention and influence.

• The car that yields to pedestrians.

• The strangers who share a smile on the sidewalk.

• The person who helps an elderly woman cross the street.

• The flowers blooming in spring.

• The birds singing with enthusiasm.

• The garbage man who come along.

• The birds singing with enthusiasm.

• The baby’s joy in wonder.

• The compassion of frontline workers in war-torn areas.

• The millions of volunteers dedicating times to Doctors Without Borders.

• The joy of being surrounded by caring friends and family.

• The CEOs bending the rules for the benefit of his employees.

• The workforce who can now claim ownership.

• The excitement for the weekend.

• The enjoyment of collaboration.

• The beautiful white sand beaches that stretch for miles.

• The wild whales swimming freely in the oceans.

• The success of coral regeneration projects.

• The repopulating of kelp along some coastal shores.

• The men and women dedicated to conservation.

• The artist inspiring a generation.

• The preservation of national parks.

• The apps that empower through accessible education.

There is a lot of good in the world, if we choose to pay attention.

But these stories rarely command the same attention or are met with the same level of enthusiasm. As primal beings, we are hyper-alert to threats, not comforts. Our ancient instincts don’t jolt us awake for good news, the way they do for danger signals.

As a result, these positive stories don’t naturally capture our attention in the way fear-mongering or catastrophe hijacks our attention, because:

Good news is calming.
Positivity inspires contentment.
Optimism breeds serenity.
Hope nurtures peace.
Gratitude cultivates joy.
Kindness sparks tranquility.

These states do not ignite fierce advocacy or call for zealous evangelism.

But what if our collective challenge now is to figure out how we can proactively redirect our tendencies to disproportionately like, share, and engage with positivity and hope instead? What if we can rewire our brains to pay more attention to good news versus danger signals?

Maybe this is what we can use social media for instead?

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Thank you for spending some of your day with me.