How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy (Odell)

Perhaps I am just born in a different generation, but I have long ago resisted the urge to define myself by accomplishment and clicks. It started with my birthday that some years ago I decided to remove from social media. I realized that I resented that none of these platform friends actually knew when my birthday was. Instead I hear from a handful of really meaningful people in my life who I value, that in turn value me, who reach out to personally wish me a happy birthday. The number I receive on my birthday is in the single digits, but they are meaningful enough to me that they more than make my day feel special. I have long rejected the idea of manufactured worth. My life is way too special to share in the flattened forums of social media. The same goes for productivity. I never valued my life more than when I sold my business and did nothing for a year. In that time I rediscovered what was truly valuable to me. I often chuckle to myself when telling others that I am working on a MFA and they comment, “I guess that will help you find a better job?” The truth is that I have moved past the concept that employment & manufactured accomplishments measure my worth. I choose instead to be more deeply engaged with endeavors that money can’t buy and that clicks can’t validate.

Driving home I could hear the sound of cicadas for the first time this summer. Pulling into my neighborhood I noticed the trees, how they are taller than wide & reach fairly high up.