From cd6644ea4ddc78597934ab0ef5ba50e3c3daa927 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Mitja Felicijan Date: Sat, 8 Jul 2023 23:25:41 +0200 Subject: Moved to a simpler SSG --- ...from-internet-consumer-to-full-hominum-again.md | 102 --------------------- 1 file changed, 102 deletions(-) delete mode 100644 content/posts/2021-07-30-from-internet-consumer-to-full-hominum-again.md (limited to 'content/posts/2021-07-30-from-internet-consumer-to-full-hominum-again.md') diff --git a/content/posts/2021-07-30-from-internet-consumer-to-full-hominum-again.md b/content/posts/2021-07-30-from-internet-consumer-to-full-hominum-again.md deleted file mode 100644 index 31a2ea0..0000000 --- a/content/posts/2021-07-30-from-internet-consumer-to-full-hominum-again.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,102 +0,0 @@ ---- -title: My journey from being an internet über consumer to being a full hominum again -url: from-internet-consumer-to-full-hominum-again.html -date: 2021-07-30T12:00:00+02:00 -draft: false ---- - -It's been almost a year since I started purging all my online accounts and -going down this rabbit hole of being almost independent of the current internet -machine. Even though I initially thought that I will have problems adapting, -I was pleasantly surprised that the transition went so smoothly. Even better, -it brought many benefits to my life. Such as increased focus, less stress -about trivial things, etc. - -It all started with me doing small changes like unsubscribing from emails that I -have either subscribed to by accepting terms and conditions. Or even some more -malicious emails that I was getting because I was on a shared mailing list. And -the later ones I hate the most of all. How the hell do they keep sharing my -email and sending me unsolicited emails and get away with it? I have a suspicion -that these marketing people share an Excel file between them and keep -resubscribing me when they import lists into Mailchimp or similar software. - -It's fascinating to see how much crap you get subscribed to when you are not -paying attention. It got so bad that my primary Gmail address is a full of junk -and need constant monitoring and cleaning up. And because I want to have Inbox -Zero, this presents an additional problem for me. - -The stress that email presented for me didn't occur to me for a long time. I was -noticing that I was unable to go through one single hour without hysterically -refreshing email. And if somebody wrote me something, I needed to see it right -then, even though I didn't immediately reply to it. I can only describe this -with FOMO (fear of missing out). I have no other explanation than that. It was -crippling, and I was constantly context switching, which I will address further -down this post in more details. - -This was one of the reasons why I spawned up my personal email server, and I am -using it now as my primary and person email. I still have Gmail as my “junk” -email that I use for throw away stuff. I log in to Gmail once a week and check -if there are any important emails that I got, but apart from that, it's sitting -dormant and collecting dust. - -The more I was watching the world loose it's self with allowing anti freedom -things to happen to it, the more I started to realize that something has to -change. I don't have the power to change the world. And I also don't have a -grandiose opinion of myself to even think to try it. But what I can do is to not -subscribe to this consumer way of thinking. I will not be complicit in this. My -moral and ethical stances won't allow it. So, this brings us to the second part -of my journey. - -I was using all these 3rd party services because I was either lazy or OK with -the drawbacks of them. I watched these services and companies became more and -privacy policies and everybody is OK with accepting them, and they pray on that -more evil. It is evil if you sell your user's data in this manner. Nobody reads -flaw in human nature. I really hate the hypocrisy they manage to muster. These -companies prey on our laziness, and we are at fault here. Nobody else. And I -truly understand the reasons why we rather accept and move on, and not object -and have our lives a little more difficult. They have perfected this through -years of small changes that make us a little more dependent on them. You could -not convince a person to give away all his rights and data in one day. This was -gradual and slow. And it caught us all in surprise. When I really stopped and -thought about it, I felt repulsed. By really stopping and thinking about it, I -really mean stopping and thinking about it. Thoroughly and in depth. - -Each step I took depleted my character a bit more. Like I was trading myself bit -by bit without understanding what it all meant. What it meant to be a full -person, not divided by all this bought attention they want from me. They don't -just get your data, but they also take your attention away from you. They -scatter your and go with the divide and conquer tactic from there. And a person -divided is a person not fully there. Not at the moment. Not alive fully. - -I was unable to form long thoughts. Well, I thought I was. But now that I see -what being a full person is again, I can see that I was not at my 100% back -then. - -A revolt was inevitable. There was no other way of continuing my story without -it. Without taking back my attention, my thoughts, my time, and my privacy, -regardless of how too late it maybe is. - -This has nothing to do with conspiracy theories. Even less with changing the -world. All I wanted was to get my life back in order and not waste the energy -that could be spent in other, better places. - -I started reading more. I can focus now fully on things I work on. Furthermore, -I have the mental acuity that I never had before. My mind feels sharp. I don't -get angry so much. I can cherish the finer things in life now without the need -to interpret them intellectually. Not only that, but I have a feeling of -belonging again. Sense of purpose has returned with a vengeance. And I can now -help people without depleting myself. - -The last step so far was to finish closing all the remaining online accounts -that I still had. And when I was thinking what value they bring me, I wasn't -surprised that the answer was none. I wasn't logging in them and using them. I -stopped being afraid of FOMO. If somebody wants to get in contact me, they will -find a way. I am one search away. - -We are not beholden to anybody. Our lives are our own. So dare yourself to -delete Facebook, LinkedIn. To unsubscribe. Dare yourself to take your time and -attention back. Use that time and energy to go for a walk without thinking about -work. Read a book instead of reading comment on social media that you will -forget in an hour. Enrich your life instead of wasting it. It only requires a -small step. And you will feel the benefits immediately. Lose the weight of the -world that is crushing you without your consent. -- cgit v1.2.3