Elsewhere

I twitter. Look for me there. It’s not often anymore I feel like sitting down to write a blog entry, and am more likely to dump random thoughts into that micro-blog. But not giving this up quite yet, either. The more tools, the more possibilities.

This culture confuses excitement and fulfillment. Fulfillment can’t be mass produced and sold in 30 second increments. It’s not quantifiable. Excitement is much easier to package and monetize, and because it’s not fulfilling, getting a little just makes us want more. We are bombarded by it and our appetite can never be sated and the means become the ends and we end up spending all our time, money, and energy chasing the next high, the next new thing. We’re a nation of addicts. Viva la capitalism.

Part of conscious capitalism is vigilant defense of your mindshare. Just cuz they’re sellin’ don’t mean you have to buy, or even pay attention. Your time, and especially your attention, are the most precious things you own, and the 21st century has made our culture the battlefield to harvest those things from you as much as possible.

The first step is awareness.

listening to music will not fulfill you
watching tv will not fulfill you
watching movies will not fulfill you
playing games will not fulfill you
eating food will not fulfill you
empty sex will not fulfill you
sleeping all day will not fulfill you
buying stuff will not fulfill you

creating will fulfill you
sharing yourself with others will fulfill you
travelling and learning about people will fulfill you
developing trust and nurturing intimacy will fulfill you
making things better, in some small way, wherever you go
will fulfill you

it starts with yourself
but it doesn’t end there
there is always more to do, more to learn, more to give
life is growth and change
things will settle down when you die
until then
seek fulfillment in life
when you are fulfilled, excitement is just a novelty, not a need

it can be harder to rest easy
than to stay on the edge of your seat
as I grow older I find that I favor
the savory over the sweet