Consume vs. Create
One thing I've been considering lately is the amount of time that I consume vs. the amount of time I create.
It's probably no surprise that the main example of consumption I'm thinking of is media consumption. In the digital age, you can't get around that. Every time you unlock your cell phone or step outside you are opening the door to be blasted by the digital puzzle pieces that assemble our complicated culture. So complicated and disjoint, in fact, that I already regret using a puzzle as a metaphor and not a vast complex web.1 But back to consumption itself. I've noticed that a lot of consumption can be done mindlessly, which is probably not a good thing? I can't say for sure why, but I assume that since the brain is a muscle then the processes our brain takes when forming thoughts are a form of exercise. And we should create and form thoughts or else we become dull and uninteresting.
But how should I consider what counts as mindful consumption? Should I just pick up Infinite Jest and start forming opinions? That's why I think it's important to constantly curate your taste. Constantly ask yourself, "Hey am I actually enjoying this thing? What is it doing for me? Do I actually just like the perception of this?"
I find it to be a huge advantage that I'm in a field where creation is neccessary. As a data engineer, or as any kind of engineer, my day to day can be trial and error focused and I can get a lot of bites in at the apple.2 My process can be refined because of research and experience so I know one method or process will have a more desireable outcome than the other, but in a lot of cases it can actually just be better to try a lot.3
I think what I've worked out for myself is that I have a finite amount of energy to consume each day. I can spend less energy to consume mindlessly than I would with "mindful media". But this "mindful media" probably worth actually consuming because it exercises the brain and keeps me sharp and interesting. Anything that I consider "mindful media" is the stuff that makes you think because then you're actually secretly creating.
What is it about creation that feels so much more satisfying than consumption? Is it that I feel ownership of it, even if the quality is lacking? Is it that I feel the satisfaction of doing a job well that I learned to appreciate when I was younger moving boxes around for my grandfathers antique store? Is it that there is more earning potential in creation than consumption?
I really don't know. But I'm gonna bet that creating as much or more than you consume keep your mind sharp and the creative juices flowing.
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In this metaphor, extremist groups are outside nodes not connected to the main ball of yarn by more than one or two strands.↩
Not a biblical metaphor↩
I'm also fortunate to be in a field where I can write infinitely reproducible software and run it with sometimes no cost. If the work is really meaningful, there's probably an environment set up for me where I can run it at low cost before sending it out for it to be productionalized and critiqued.↩