The issue is the attention economy in and of itself, along with the decay of aesthetics into content; not the people having issues with attention and lack of ability to taste, since some have actionable temperaments while others are less cultural and more grounded in pure observation/recording. For those who can value attention in art over content or discernment, de-addicting the computer should be trivial. Q1: is it really like this with a balanced diet, exercise, relaxation, and some open source attention-preserving app?
The problem of hiding in a doomsday bunker is that other wiser men will turn it into a forgotten tomb, and as all tomb goes, it is a weird reflection of the ego. An less ego-driven alternative is to roam the digital streets often and to feel others suffering, maybe once and a while heal others. One of the central critique of this quasi-luddism is that cult-making and band-wagoning becomes easy since the diversity of reality is eliminated, as social control precedes the internet, in other forms such as self-sabotage. A weird thing to notice is that the Unabomber fandom does not help the underlying cause of toxic collectivism it intended to focus on as their congregation is often "all talk and no action", and also does not address the vulnerability one becomes atomized or coddled into blind paleo-reactionary behaviors ala eco-terror, which breaths life into their adversaries.
To rewrite Chomsky (bruh on his recent tirades tho): You have a choice between being martyred by backwards subcultures or wasting your time inside the attention economy. But the best counter to both, is to not be a paleo-reactionary OR taking the default offer of the attention economy. Make your attention worthy for the people you care about, not some soapbox with gullible people.
Your essays have unearthed something artists and writers of this time have been desperately (and unknowingly) searching for. You’ve tapped into a lost sentiment, forgotten and profound. Creative types are craving writing/perspectives like this, now more than ever.
I’m currently crafting/designing handmade skateboards/miniature boards and looking to design more things in the future. It’s definitely not for everyone but it started as a response to all the ugly graphics I was seeing on the market.
Your ideas relating to mindfulness, embracing the ordinary, analogue making a comeback etc. have had a profound impact on me. The path of diligently honing your craft for years and years now has more appeal in an era of instant gratification and constant distraction. This is the way.
Great stuff, as always, Tom. Normally I'd be embarrassed to toot my own horn this way, but since we're on the subject anyway, I'd like to share a little something of my own. I've booted up a little WordPress as my own catacomb; here's a bit on the same theme: https://quartalharmonies.wordpress.com/2020/04/24/abandoned-gardens/
A weird play on Catacombs is the Waldenpond, or a type of disassociation from large-scale realities. Indeed some dissected that this behavior not as acting in cynicism, but playing out dirty things from the view of cynicism itself. https://studio.ribbonfarm.com/p/against-waldenponding https://studio.ribbonfarm.com/p/against-waldenponding-ii
The issue is the attention economy in and of itself, along with the decay of aesthetics into content; not the people having issues with attention and lack of ability to taste, since some have actionable temperaments while others are less cultural and more grounded in pure observation/recording. For those who can value attention in art over content or discernment, de-addicting the computer should be trivial. Q1: is it really like this with a balanced diet, exercise, relaxation, and some open source attention-preserving app?
The problem of hiding in a doomsday bunker is that other wiser men will turn it into a forgotten tomb, and as all tomb goes, it is a weird reflection of the ego. An less ego-driven alternative is to roam the digital streets often and to feel others suffering, maybe once and a while heal others. One of the central critique of this quasi-luddism is that cult-making and band-wagoning becomes easy since the diversity of reality is eliminated, as social control precedes the internet, in other forms such as self-sabotage. A weird thing to notice is that the Unabomber fandom does not help the underlying cause of toxic collectivism it intended to focus on as their congregation is often "all talk and no action", and also does not address the vulnerability one becomes atomized or coddled into blind paleo-reactionary behaviors ala eco-terror, which breaths life into their adversaries.
To rewrite Chomsky (bruh on his recent tirades tho): You have a choice between being martyred by backwards subcultures or wasting your time inside the attention economy. But the best counter to both, is to not be a paleo-reactionary OR taking the default offer of the attention economy. Make your attention worthy for the people you care about, not some soapbox with gullible people.
Thomas,
Your essays have unearthed something artists and writers of this time have been desperately (and unknowingly) searching for. You’ve tapped into a lost sentiment, forgotten and profound. Creative types are craving writing/perspectives like this, now more than ever.
I’m a visual artist/designer/woodworker - www.Instagram.com/_harderwood_
I’m currently crafting/designing handmade skateboards/miniature boards and looking to design more things in the future. It’s definitely not for everyone but it started as a response to all the ugly graphics I was seeing on the market.
Your ideas relating to mindfulness, embracing the ordinary, analogue making a comeback etc. have had a profound impact on me. The path of diligently honing your craft for years and years now has more appeal in an era of instant gratification and constant distraction. This is the way.
Thank you!
- B.W. Harder
Great stuff, as always, Tom. Normally I'd be embarrassed to toot my own horn this way, but since we're on the subject anyway, I'd like to share a little something of my own. I've booted up a little WordPress as my own catacomb; here's a bit on the same theme: https://quartalharmonies.wordpress.com/2020/04/24/abandoned-gardens/
Recently read Fahrenheit 451 and am wondering which book you plan to memorise for posterity. 😉
Great read. Perhaps I should start my own catacomb...
Perhaps, "Brigadoon as a metaphor". See you on Sunday.
Great read! Brilliant insight. Looking forward to more.
Great post. You and Rod Dreher would get along.
Love this, thank you Tom.
I was wondering where I was, now I know.
In the catacombs
Brilliant, I hadn't thought of it like this before but I've certainly been heading into the catacombs for years.
Inspiring writing, Tom.
This is excellent analysis and great writing, Thomas. Cheers, GS
Excellent first edition.
Having someone take an optimistic, pro-active view of the current situation is wonderfully refreshing.
Looking forward to the second!