Over the last week and a half I have been watching a lot of sports from the Olympic games in Tokyo and have really been enjoying it, as someone who normally doesn't watch sport much at all. Big events are great though for so many reasons, as they come with a lot of expectation, underdog surprises and the drama that unfolds from all kinds of unexpected situations and questions that arise.
The drama triggers emotional response and this is heightened when there is a horse in the race so to speak, a national team, a favorite competitor. It is very easy to get drawn into the emotional vortex and get attached to the events proceeding with increased heart rate, tensed muscles and various feelings of happiness, disappointment, disbelief or anger.
We become emotionally and physically reactive to the inputs we are receiving, even though they are not tied directly to anything that affects our daily lives. If anything, watching the sport is a proxy for living a life, living vicariously through the tribulations and elations of others. It is because of this that it is entertaining, as to experience these events directly would mean that we are the horse so what we would be reacting to is something that directly affects us.
As much fun as it is to get emotionally invested in the Olympics, what I notice in myself is that the more I watch, the less I think - literally. We are products of our environments and our thoughts are no exception. Because the brain is pretty lazy in general, we reflect what we consume and end up thinking about, talking about, and producing what "we know" which usually suffers from an availability bias, cherry-picking the most easily available information, which is what we have just consumed.
It can actually be very hard to move our thoughts from one domain into something completely different and time is normally needed to clear the mind and make the transition. While the speed of transition varies a lot between people, everyone is affected.
Back in the days before joining Hive, I was watching a lot of series while comforting my daughter at night, as she was barely sleeping more than 30 minutes in a row. many hundreds of hours over the space of six months immersed in content, getting very little of value out of it. Once I joined Hive and started writing and within the space of about two months, I had a transition period of the shows in the background to the point I had increased my writing to take up all of the time I had previously been watching.
At the time, I was writing a lot and even though I was barely earning, I enjoyed the thought and practical processes so much, I just kept going. Many people asked how I was able to do it and it was pretty simple. Firstly I had to make the time to write, which was inevitably late in the evenings. Then, I would make short notes throughout my working day based on what I experienced, heard, thought or got fed through responses and replies to content and then, took the time to write at night after everyone went to bed.
My life became an overflowing pool of potential content that I could draw upon directly or as inspiration. It also pushed me to get out with the camera more to build a supply of supporting images and because I write from experience, it helped me become more sensitive and aware of my surroundings, including my own family situation. I became more sensitive to my environment and more reflective on what I consumed, which was my own life experiences.
The more I created, the more I could create.
As said, we reflect what we consume and what we produce is indicative of where we spend our time, which makes some of what people contribute quite interesting. A lot of content is derived from entertainment activities, a lot from investment and also from daily life. Yet, there is also a great deal of content that is essentially commentary on commentary, the regurgitation of views consumed, where there is nothing new, nothing fresh, just a repetition of other people's words. A lot of the political and social movement derived content is like this.
What I have noticed in myself is the less I get out of the house, the narrower my content becomes, which is due to the narrowing of my experience. During this period of time where I have been home a lot I notice the narrowing in my thinking and with the introduction of the Olympics and Splinterlands, it has narrowed again. While I really enjoy watching all of the sports, I am kind of looking forward (as is my wife) to it ending this week, so I can get back to thinking again.
While this is all in regards to content creation, I also think that it demonstrates why so many people get sucked into the blackholes of the internet, consuming and being forced down narrow rabbit holes of information and surrounding themselves with the walls of a content silo. With people spending even more time within their own homes now, it is no wonder that they reflect what they consume in their thoughts, as there is very little alternative and random content - it is all chosen on-demand and what we demand is what supports our view, not what challenges it.
And I think challenge is one of the rewards of content creation, as once the thoughts are directed toward a topic, a massive amount of thinking can take place, where there is a broad conversation inside the head that looks at what is being reflected from alternate perspectives. While most of this personal discussion will be omitted, the process of having it can help come to terms with issues as well as learn to be grateful for conditions, especially when it is based on personal experience, rather than the consumed experiences of others.
For now though, I am happy to watch and enjoy the passive experience of watching talented people do incredible things and indulge in letting my emotions react to what has very little direct bearing on my own life. It is an indulgence though and I will stay frosty so that what I consume, doesn't start to consume me.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]