What Is Wrong With Our Society Today?

The difference between technology and slavery is that slaves are fully aware that they are not freeâ – Nassim Taleb.

A bit extreme, but he has a point. My 19 year old brother lives with a friend, and they play this smartphone game called Clash Royale for most of the day. While theyâre playing it they put Netflix shows in the background. Theyâre obviously not fully paying attention to the show, yet it still makes them feel some kind of comfort.

A good friend of mine is a very capable musician (he was offered a well paying touring gig at one point)- yet he works at a low-end job he has no passion for and spends his nights playing video games on his computer with his girlfriend. All night, every night.

It wouldnât even be that difficult for him to escape the 9â5 and become a full-time, musician. But his current lifestyle doesnât allow it.

During my teenage years I played World of Warcraft for four hours or more per day. I didnât really enjoy it for the most part, but it was a distraction from my pain.

And thatâs what I think it is. The internet, social media, Netflix Bingeing, Video Games, they all give us an escape into another world. A virtual reality where our problems arenât problems.

But, when we spend too much time in those virtual realities, our real-life problems only get worse. We make a habit of avoiding our very real pain, but the more we avoid our pain, the worse it gets.

The more my friend plays video games, the more it weighs on him that heâs working a crappy job and not even trying to go for the life he wants. The more my brother plays video games the more it weighs on him that heâs lacking genuine human connection in his life.

The problem with our society today is that weâve normalized a lifestyle in which we avoid reality.

If this resonates with you, and you want a guide to getting out of your house and into the real world, you might want to check out: The Trial.

For more on this topic, check out the article: Living In the Era of Disconnection