We should be Slower

Sometimes words are hard to come by. Sometimes we just feel like we need to do something — like we must vomit our thoughts onto paper. It isn’t about anything in particular, really, besides throwing our voice into the chaotic oblivion of the Internet for possible returning echoes within these neverending blue electronic mountains. 

It used to be ravens and cheers. Now the World Wide Web has hijacked the very freedom it once gave us--or well enhanced, critical thinking and the enjoyement of life. And it used the greatest accomplice. Not Satan, not the government — but ourselves. Say whatever you want about evil spirits and corrupt officials; they never forced us to scroll our lives away.

Then we hear podcasts and hustlers shouting: “Cut yourself off from the world!” But no — it isn’t about FOMO that we fail to be consistent. At least not for me. The truth is simple: the Internet, as a whole, is not evil. The Internet is a knife. We can use it to butter our toast, or we can use it to kill someone. It is a tool, and the way we wield it matters.

We cannot deny the Internet’s flaws, but we also cannot ignore its gifts. I’ve met amazing people here. Some of my happiest moments in life happened online. Our lives have changed. They may have become monotone, bound to routine — scrolling endlessly, following hashtag prophets and the loud influencer-gods of the age.

And yet, to a certain degree, this isn’t all bad. It does bring joy, connection, and it has birthed a new culture. Again: it is a tool. The trick is learning to use it moderately. Which is why I present to you the Slow Internet Theory.

Ever heard of it?

No?

Of course not — I just invented it.

The Slow Internet Theory means we can still extract the best of the Internet, individually and collectively, without becoming mindless robots swiping up for entertainment, right for sex, and down for 'en masse' comments pretending to be popular opinion.

Let me explain.

I recently watched a video on YouTube that asked: Would you enjoy a video game if you only speedran it? No. And by the way, speedrunning requires months of repetition and practice. If we aren’t willing to do that in video games, why are we so keen on doing it in real life? It makes no sense.

Sure, making money and chasing entertainment is human. But so is taking care of oneself, developing the mind, body, and soul. The beauty is that we can take it slowly. There is no rush. We’ve created a society that either guilt-trips those who dare to rest, or excuses those who sink into laziness and reckless indulgence. The path, as always, is in the middle. You don’t need to be a millionaire, nor a man who loses himself on the road to ambition and goodness.

Just like life, the Internet should be taken slowly.

This very website is a great example.

The Internet is not everything. Just like nothing should ever be everything. We are coming back to the age of all things. To the age of the polymath.

Enjoy life virtuously — and the freedom it grants. Take it slowly, because it's only one.