Why would you choose to escape life, when you could be creating it?
Distractions are everywhere. There are obvious distractions, intrusive distractions, and even distractions dressed up as helpful information. You could quite literally spend your entire day distracted if you so wished, or if you happened to fall that far down the rabbit hole.
A cynic may claim that all things in life are distractions. We are but tiny specks of dust trying to discover our purpose in a near infinite universe. Perhaps we are just constantly distracting ourselves from the metaphorical abyss. I believe that distractions are something different.
We all have a true self. When making a decision between life or distraction there is a version of us that is prepared to answer the question:
“What would the real me do right now?”
Its this version of us that takes the time to think through how much we actually want to accept that invitation, click on that video, or read that blog post. Will doing this thing actually bring me closer to who I am, or will it just be a pleasant distraction?
Fun things that many people use as distractions don’t always have to be distractions though. Mindfully watching some funny youtube videos to enhance mood and creativity is a great way to spend some time. Mindlessly falling into the rabbit hole that is Youtube’s recommended videos list is more or less just a distraction. There is always a chance that your trips down the rabbit hole might reveal an exciting new insight, but we must be careful not to lean on this excuse in order to sugar coat our distractions.
Distractions, to me, are temporary escapes from reality. Sometimes these escapes are just what we need to recharge, but other times they are draining on our spirits. Slowly, distractions can pull us away from our true selves. During the times when reality isn’t feeling comfortable, distractions find themselves welcomed into our lives with open arms. Anything to keep our minds off of reality.
It takes a powerful mindset to avoid temptation from distractions, especially during hard times. We must be able to have mindfulness over a vast majority of our decisions, and the ability to cultivate habits that curve the reliance on distractions. Most importantly we must believe in ourselves. We must know deep down that we will persevere through the hard times and create a world where we no longer feel the need for distractions.
Would you rather escape reality, or create it?
