The Advent of Computing

The introduction of the "God of Computing" into the life of the modern citizen marked a significant shift. For instance, accountants who once used endless ledgers and filled offices with paperwork now had a spreadsheet software, enabling them to organize and retrieve information with just a few clicks. The initial idea was that computing would simplify tasks, making daily operations quicker, easier, and more relaxed.

However, this was just the first step in a transformation that would reverse the trend. Instead of being a tool serving humans, people rapidly became servants to computing. With its nearly infinite possibilities, computing didn’t just simplify employees' lives; it made them slaves and fundamentally dependent on a tool that was supposed to benefit them. Humanity thus fell into its own trap of organization and performance, creating an era of endless optimization and increasingly complex processes. Tasks that once took a day to complete due to physical archives could now be accomplished in a minute, but this efficiency brought its own set of challenges, including how to fill the remaining time and justify one's role in the company.

Guilt at Every Level

This relentless pursuit of performance subtly ingrained itself into the life of the average citizen, bringing far from just well-being. Starting in businesses, computerization and digitalization soon took over all societal layers. From shopping and filling out school reports to home deliveries and consumption, everything quickly became facilitated, optimized, and performed. Human life was no longer divided between moments of relaxation and concentration. Instead, it turned towards digitization and the constant questioning of optimizing every action. The modern human's sole goal became to ensure that their life was time and cost-efficient.

But what happens when your life becomes a continuous flow of performance-seeking at all levels, with no room for relaxation? The answer is simple yet follows a logic that becomes quite evident upon closer examination. When your life resembles a giant enterprise where profitability is the key focus, guilt inevitably follows. Striving for efficiency inevitably leads to guilt if you feel you're not maximizing the optimization possibilities available to you. A life focused on profitability leads to an inherent sense of guilt for not achieving it, further complicated by a sinister game of envy amidst this relentless performance race.

Being efficient is about congratulating oneself for optimizing time and money. But it also means diving into the depths of a perverse and unhealthy game: becoming envious and enviable in comparison to others. Who will be the best, the fastest, the most efficient, and for how long? It's clear that our society is a generator of anxiety and stress of cyclonic strength, making it challenging to find an escape.

The Era of Instantaneity

Anxiety is omnipresent in our lives, lurking behind every minor detail, intensified by the widespread digitalization brought about by New Information and Communication Technologies (NTICs). The modern world's capability to answer everything, and sometimes anything, has transformed our daily experiences. Want to know the ideal cooking time for your langoustines? The internet provides the answer, and if you don't get it right, there's always someone ready to remind you they've known it for years. While this might seem trivial, it perfectly illustrates the reality of our fast-paced world. Every daily task is now under the domain of the twin gods of Computing and Information. The real power has shifted from tangible assets to information.

Having information equates to having power, and with power, you can ensure profitability and optimization in every aspect of your life. Now, you can answer any question that comes to mind, even those you hadn't considered. Want to exercise? Your smartwatch and phone can track every step, turning what should be a relaxing activity into another opportunity for life optimization.

The Society of Passivity

In an over-digitized society, seeking information for personal enrichment and learning about various topics should not be problematic. However, the problem arises when this behavior becomes excessive. Ultra-digitalization, offering unlimited access to information, has led to a secondary, more harmful phenomenon: passivity.

If you spend too much time consuming questionable information, little time remains for genuine relaxation and personal interests. How can you take time to explore your tastes in food, music, cinema, interior design, travel, or outings? Digitalization has an answer for this as well. It has stolen the time you need for self-discovery, offering a plethora of ready-made leisure options, from Netflix and Amazon to AliExpress, Tinder, Uber eat, and Google. These time-stealing giants dictate films, series, music, encounters, activities, and meals within a limited and directed framework. They don't encourage the evolution of humanity or consciousness but rather confine you to a standardized marketing cell.

Relearning to Be Bored

It's time for a real pause. The thieves of time are everywhere, capturing every spare second. Notifications, emails, discounts, trends, social media, it's time to say stop. Disconnecting becomes a necessity. The information overload has led to a major identity crisis. Western populations are no longer guided by genuine interests but are swayed by trends they are led to follow.

Relearning to be bored allows you to reconnect with yourself. Spend an evening without screens, music, reading, or any stimulation. Sit quietly and reflect on yourself, your friends, family, and personal and professional life. This simple exercise is highly effective in reconnecting you with who you truly are.

Being an Actor in Your Own Life

In a society defined by passivity and digital addiction, becoming an active participant in your life is essential. Knowing who you are and what truly excites you is crucial for psychological well-being and emotional stability. Living through others and following trends may be comforting momentarily, but if repeated out of fear of confronting existential realities, the risk is high and leads to a life misaligned with your true self. Seeking your own path is one of the most virtuous rituals, and no one should manipulate or direct you toward ideologies that aren't genuinely yours. Despite the attractive façade and seemingly juicy rewards, beware of the encompassing digitalization and resulting passivity to regain the leading role in your life, the one given to you, the one that is yours.