Sweeping Reverie Under the Rug
Thinking is hard. Endless distractions make it even harder. Distractions disguised as good habits make it almost impossible.
Humans are naturally indolent. When given two equal options, we will almost certainly choose the path of least resistance. This does not mean we are pejoratively lazy, but it does mean we avoid wasting energy and are thus indolent creatures. Replace “indolent” with “efficient” and this hypothesis may make more sense.
The human mind is no different. The brain can be put to work and exercised to different degrees. This spectrum requires varying levels of effort ranging from effortless to extremely draining. To the left of the spectrum lies simple thinking such as that used for listening to music or watching television. To the right lies critical, free thought. The difference between reading Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason and postulating a counterargument is marked and their spread on the spectrum is gaping. This spread signifies resistance and the human mind hates resistance. We are cognitively frugal.
Naturally, most minds will lurk around the left tail of this spectrum when possible. Ideation and critical thinking are subordinated in favor of more facile thinking.
The mind’s big break
In humanity’s early days, most thought was centered around work, sustenance, and in-person interaction. There was little room for advanced thinking as mankind had little free time at all. As humanity grew wealthier, free time increased. Arts and sciences were introduced to the mainstream. Regrettably, the preponderance of mankind gravitated towards relatively mindless pastimes like drinking and gossip rather than art, literature, and experimentation. This has not changed. In every stage of mankind’s development, reverie and cogitation have been relegated to the back seat by exogenous distractions. Today, distraction reigns supreme.
Here’s where you may disagree with me
The usual suspects of mental entropy, e.g social media, gaming, and television, are not much better than music, art, and literature. Music, art, literature, research, and even the news are all more edifying than mindless activities like TikTok. Still, they are distractions from the highest level of human thinking: free thought. Free thought is independent and requires complete focus and rumination. The consumption of information, from Netflix to Newton, is both inspiration for free thought and a distraction from it. If unbalanced, even learning can become a vice.
I cannot emphasize the significance of this relationship. By definition, inspiration and practice lead to nothing without action. Transitively, the consumption of even the most intellectual information is wasted without free thought.
Thus, man should enjoy even the most beneficial pastimes gingerly. Instead of listening to a podcast in the car or reading every night before bed, take time to simply think. Leave room for reverie. Man’s greatest epiphanies and inventions are born from reverie and idle thought. Feed the fire of free thought with knowledge, but be wary of the many disguises worn by distraction.
The human mind is lazy and will jump at the opportunity to avoid cogitation. Imagination is mankind’s greatest asset, so it is vital that we use it. Compelling distractions will become more abundant with technology, but idle time to think will grow in turn. Avoid the former and make use of the latter, even if listening to 3 podcasts a day makes you feel smarter.