Sean Illing over at Vox (by the way Sean is a major go-to resource, I recommend you check in with him often), "A new book by Danish philosopher Svend Brinkmann, The Joy of Missing Out, offers some useful advice: Let it go. Stop trying to do everything and instead do less. In fact, sometimes it’s best to be left behind, to enjoy where you are right now."
I think this is great advice. Not just a "digital detox," but a broader cultural detox too. I find that "fun" has never really lived up to expectations. Looking for the "heart of Saturday night," always seemed like a fool's quest. Turns out going for a walk, sitting in a chair meditating, reading a book, listening to one album all the way through, eating a quiet meal with a friend, playing acoustic guitar in the kitchen, doing less, avidly, and intently, can be maximally rewarding.
The Way of the Hermit. Follow your inner light. You can't see that inner light if your phone is always on. I know, its kind of like that salmon swimming against the stream, and maybe at first you will feel like you are missing something, that you are going the wrong way. But, really, probably not! Yes, in some ways, "everything we know is wrong." The messages we get every day from the multi-headed mass culture beast is to always want more, do more, buy more, consume more motherfuckers!
That's a road to madness, unhappiness, a joyless needing, wanting, grasping. Bad for our mental health, and bad for the planet too. Living within our means in all ways. Tend your garden! Less is more!
