Stretched along the superficial

Five hours.

Last week I started recording my screen time and now I know that I average almost five hours of every day looking at my phone. Like Hootie and the Blowfish famously sang, "Time, why you punish me?"

Of course, there is no correct amount of time to fiddle on a phone, but it left me wondering - what's my intention here?

We all know the unique allure of modern technology. You're reading this email after all. We're all addicted, what's there left to say? But five hours is not just five hours. It is the consistent warping of our neural circuits. How can you ignore a black mirror that offers the entire world on a technicolor treadmill?

Because of this immense power, though, we end up reacting to the world instead of taking part in it. Author, chess prodigy, and martial arts champion Josh Waitzkin said it this way: "We obviously live in a world that bombards us with information, and we feel the need to respond to stimulus as it comes in. The problem with this is that we get stretched along the superficial outer layers of many things."

And that's by design. Even before Silicon Valley took note, we've been compelled by novelty. It's so much easier to react. Like a Roman emperor, we feel empowered by the direction we point our thumbs.

To go deep requires more - more energy, more thought, more attention.

Technology offers to think for us. It takes the heavy mental load off of imagining what we truly want. In return, we offer our time and attention. And we can't help it, as humans, we take the shortcut. After all, you need to spend a day somehow and French philosopher Blaise Pascal said it best, way before the internet was even a spark in your mom's eye: "All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone."

Without technology, you're left to your own devices. You have to rely on your own brain to figure out how to spend the day. And I don't know about you but I own a whole bunch of movies I've never seen and I still scroll through Netflix without picking anything.

It's not easy, but it can be simple. Imagine the power of knowing what you really want to do instead of just reacting to what you don't. Imagine using technology instead of it using you. Imagine taking a second before spending the next.

There is potential in technology, we just need to know how to use it. Only then can we do the hard work to get to the bottom of things.

With that being said, let's check out some of that good content that makes you think thoughts like these:

Amidst all the uncomfortable social media arguments, there is potential in technology - Google Sees Surge in “Am I Racist” Searches Amid Protests

I love watching people lose it while laughing. If you do too, enjoy comedians Tom Segura and Bert Chrysler loose it over the fact that Bert drinks a gallon of Kool Aid every day.

Need more comedy? Hannibal Buress dropped a brand-new red-hot special called Miami Nights. On top of being hilarious, Buress uses some dope editing and audio tricks that make it feel even more special.

Blogger/author Mark Manson dropped a new article this week and I felt like it was meant for me. But maybe it was meant for you too - 3 Reasons Why You Make Terrible Decisions (And How to Stop)

I finally took the time to watch a years-old Will Schoder video entitled How To Remember Everything You Learn and I was not disappointed. I'm going to be thinking about this one for a while.

I've never wanted a house more until I realized I could have a "garage bar". See what I mean in this New York Post video.

If you're curious about the journey of my reselling side-hustle, Flipshark, you can check out my June monthly report.

Until next time...