A pacifier for the mind

Why did we so easily choose to give up our attention, our time, our freedom, our life?

What would the world be, if we just removed the apps that are so meticulously crafted to steal our focus, and retain our attention? If the smartphone was simply a tool to do what we needed to, what we wanted to? I would have done a lot more reading, both in print and on screen. It is one of the things that I have seen declining in my life, even though I strive to read more every year. And I would have done a lot more thinking. Just looking out into nothingness, trying to think, trying not to think, dreaming and just being.

And that is perhaps where I find my answer. Because it seems to be the exact point where so many people reach for their phone. Not out of thought, but habit, reflex, necessity. When the space to have undirected thought opens up, the urge to plug it consumes us.

It is when the mind is given space to wander, to connect two completely separate thoughts, that we can truly start thinking, that we can create something from nothing. But it's not a painless process. For we can't control what happens when the thoughts collide. We might be reminded of a terrible memory, see our own shortcomings, understand that we are on the wrong path.

Looking out the window of a bus, seeing a landscape fly by, can be more than enough to start the mind. For many, I think that is their fear, and the apps on their phones is the weapon of choice. Scrolling mindlessly through an infinite feed of videos, an endless barrage of images to keep the thoughts at bay. But in reality it's not as much a weapon as it is a pacifier.

Weapons are brandished at an enemy with intent and force. They are used to inflict lasting harm, causing the enemy to retreat, and staving off new attacks. That is not how we use the endless streams of social content. We use them more to sooth ourselves. Instead of fighting the enemy once and for all, we hide in the corner and hope that if we can't see it, it can't see us. Keeping our mind focused on a simple action, just scrolling, we make sure that the difficult thoughts are kept at arms length.

There are record numbers of people with anxiety. Are we getting more anxious because we spend our time consuming an endless stream of people who are prettier, richer and more successful than us? Or is it because there is no space left in our lives to explore our anxieties? A psychologist would tell you that to overcome your anxieties, you must face them. You have to experience the pain, and teach your mind that there is no real danger. But when we can tune out the world at the first hint of discomfort, there is no reason to face our fears, no reason to learn, no way to get better.

When a child grows up we get to the point where they must give up their pacifier. The comforter and trusty companion must be let go for the child to grow. To take control of their own emotions. As adults, we need to recognise that the pain and discomfort that comes when the mind is free to wander, is a part of living. And that trying to suppress it with simple and endless entertainment can do nothing but lasting harm.