Discontent

Source

For some time now I have been aware that the various forms of media breed discontent.  All one need do is tune in to a favorite television show or pick up a magazine and suddenly you need something that you weren't aware even existed an hour before.  I'm definitely not immune to this phenomenon.  Even when I dive into a mass media publication that is "green," I find myself wondering if my shampoo gives me clean, shiny, bouncy hair and maybe I need to buy a new product.  Or I realize the product I'm using or the color/style I'm wearing is so last year.

The same goes for the internet.  Being a philomath, I want to know/learn/read everything.  I'll be on the internet, reading an article, find another article/blog/website, and I'm down the rabbit hole, chasing down that latest bit of information that I just have to know.  The problem is that knowledge is a bottomless pit.  Like material consumption, unlimited access to knowledge leaves one wanting and dissatisfied.  

As I did with television and magazines, I need to cut back and discover what is essential to me.  And I want to keep that focus to prevent the pervasive creep of "just one more" out of my life.  I've come to the realization that I lack a sense of completion, such as when I finish a book or magazine or when I empty out my "in" box.  The net is a black hole that sucks me in and ultimately leaves me empty.  It is an amazing tool but it is almost infinite; I never "finish" anything when I'm using it.  So I'm going to evaluate both my time on the internet and the places that I frequent to regain a sense of accomplishment in my daily life.