I got up from my writing laying sideways on the couch to go make my breakfast. I contemplated listening to a podcast or another philosophy video. Instead, I did the hard thing and chose silence instead.
Silence may be inaccurate. I chose my mind instead. I have thoughts on my own, my mind runs - and usually I choose to silence it with content - a Joe Rogan podcast (to see what all the rage is about), a TED talk, The Daily, Fox News, or “Study Jazz”. There are a lot of media sources, and so much to consume.
“All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking.”
― Friedrich Nietzsche, Twilight of the Idols
But I let my mind wander instead. And it was beautiful. It always is. I made faces at my wife when she came to make tea and resume her work. I wondered about how my writing could affect people. I paid attention to the heating pan.
Voluntary boredom, wandering minds, and deep thinking are increasingly scarce. With scarcity, comes value.
This reminds me of a thought from In Praise of Idleness about the benefits:
“Above all, there will be happiness and joy of life, instead of frayed nerves, weariness, and dyspepsia. The work exacted will be enough to make leisure delightful, but not enough to produce exhaustion. ... But it is not only in these exceptional cases that the advantages of leisure will appear.”
I have days where every conscious waking moment involves looking at a screen or listening to a podcast.
Whenever - very infrequently - I take some time to just think, unguided, it feels nice. Sometimes I resolve a nagging issue that's been percolating in my mind, or reach a strong conviction or a crystalized thought. Yet the sweet call of dopamine coming from my pocket draws me in.
We're not thinking autonomously very much anymore - at least I know I'm not - most of the time, I'm allowing my thoughts to be led. It's easier.
Maybe the rise in polarization we're seeing in society is partially fueled by our collective rewiring of our brains. Are people who spend less time thinking autonomously more prone to blind acceptance of the dogmas of their tribes?