Over-Stimulated Much?
Some number of years ago I got to live through a series of things that solidified my belief in the Insanity by Over-stimulation theory. For the sake of today's argument, I learned that if a person is in ICU for too long, they get something called ICU Psychosis. As it was explained to me at the time - You just kinda lose your mind because you are completely over-stimulated and physically (therefore – spiritually, emotionally, financially) compromised.
The sounds and the lights never go away. Your brain is just unable to rest and regroup – it gets mushy. I've seen it's dirty-work and it is some wicked stuff. My dad thought I was Ronald Regan for months.
Now, it is some years later and there's a chance I can see the forest through the trees.
Today's theory is that we're not all the way jacked-up and crazy, we're just freaking over-stimulated. Too much to do, to see, to say and it all has to happen right.this.instant.
I haven’t met anyone over the age of 10 without their own cell phone, for about three years. This is crazy. I’m an adult and only barely need to have a cell phone. I know it’s a big old scary world out here, but why on earth would a 10 year old need a phone? Really?
I heard tale of a 14 year old girl who sent 60,000 texts in one month and her daddy could not have been any more proud. If you break that down, there’s 43,200 minutes in a 30-day period, so she’d have to be getting more than one text a minute for every minute of that month.
That’s just crazy talk.
How does she have time to study, sleep or touch her Real Life humans? Seriously. And, we’re supposed to be, like, commissioning grants to find out why we have “At-Risk” kids? These caricatures of American life are embarrassing the rest of us. We can’t really be this stupid, can we?
I’ve seen too many kids cutting their teeth on a steady diet of Grand Theft Auto and new episodes of “Cheaters” (Reality Trash TV.) I’m thinking we may have forgotten how to step up and turn devices off. Parents abdicate responsibility with cries of “Not enough time” and that is totally not cool.
That leaves 24/7/365 availability of constant stimulation and nobody able to step up and suggest alternatives (books, hills, creeks, conversations & meals) or take any action to make it better.
I think the immediacy of all these “tools” begets much of the trouble - there is nothing organic or natural about it. When phones ring and emails drop in, they sort-of implicitly require our immediate attention. It really does feel a little hysterical sometimes. Like, really, what will happen if you can’t be reached for maybe a day? What could possibly happen?
Have you ever tried to pry a mid-game Gameboy out of some kid’s hands? It’s ugly, believe me. These little people are urgent and pressured – they are hysterical. (And that, my friend, is what screaming tantrums on the floor at Walmart are built upon. Ugliness.)
It’s like we are becoming incapable of just being in the moment and seeking out a solid spontaneous belly-laugh. That sure doesn't feel very authentic to me.
Kinda makes me wanna take a shower.
We’re really not meant to be this crazy or this stupid. We just may need to start a revolution to prove it. I suspect there are steps we can take to prevent the further jello-fication of this generation.
Own your electronics and don’t let them own you. You really can control what you allow yourself to do and see. (I know this is just inching right up on some kind of personal responsibility and self-discipline screed, but I’m saving some of that for later.)
Just turn your stuff off - All of it and sit and have a conversation with someone.
Or, sit and don’t have a conversation, be alone and quiet.
Maybe it’s just that simple.
That would be sweet.
If it were that simple.
Hey! Lets go out back and play some Scrabble....
It could just be this simple.
The sounds and the lights never go away. Your brain is just unable to rest and regroup – it gets mushy. I've seen it's dirty-work and it is some wicked stuff. My dad thought I was Ronald Regan for months.
Now, it is some years later and there's a chance I can see the forest through the trees.
Today's theory is that we're not all the way jacked-up and crazy, we're just freaking over-stimulated. Too much to do, to see, to say and it all has to happen right.this.instant.
I haven’t met anyone over the age of 10 without their own cell phone, for about three years. This is crazy. I’m an adult and only barely need to have a cell phone. I know it’s a big old scary world out here, but why on earth would a 10 year old need a phone? Really?
I heard tale of a 14 year old girl who sent 60,000 texts in one month and her daddy could not have been any more proud. If you break that down, there’s 43,200 minutes in a 30-day period, so she’d have to be getting more than one text a minute for every minute of that month.
That’s just crazy talk.
How does she have time to study, sleep or touch her Real Life humans? Seriously. And, we’re supposed to be, like, commissioning grants to find out why we have “At-Risk” kids? These caricatures of American life are embarrassing the rest of us. We can’t really be this stupid, can we?
I’ve seen too many kids cutting their teeth on a steady diet of Grand Theft Auto and new episodes of “Cheaters” (Reality Trash TV.) I’m thinking we may have forgotten how to step up and turn devices off. Parents abdicate responsibility with cries of “Not enough time” and that is totally not cool.
That leaves 24/7/365 availability of constant stimulation and nobody able to step up and suggest alternatives (books, hills, creeks, conversations & meals) or take any action to make it better.
I think the immediacy of all these “tools” begets much of the trouble - there is nothing organic or natural about it. When phones ring and emails drop in, they sort-of implicitly require our immediate attention. It really does feel a little hysterical sometimes. Like, really, what will happen if you can’t be reached for maybe a day? What could possibly happen?
Have you ever tried to pry a mid-game Gameboy out of some kid’s hands? It’s ugly, believe me. These little people are urgent and pressured – they are hysterical. (And that, my friend, is what screaming tantrums on the floor at Walmart are built upon. Ugliness.)
It’s like we are becoming incapable of just being in the moment and seeking out a solid spontaneous belly-laugh. That sure doesn't feel very authentic to me.
Kinda makes me wanna take a shower.
We’re really not meant to be this crazy or this stupid. We just may need to start a revolution to prove it. I suspect there are steps we can take to prevent the further jello-fication of this generation.
Own your electronics and don’t let them own you. You really can control what you allow yourself to do and see. (I know this is just inching right up on some kind of personal responsibility and self-discipline screed, but I’m saving some of that for later.)
Just turn your stuff off - All of it and sit and have a conversation with someone.
Or, sit and don’t have a conversation, be alone and quiet.
Maybe it’s just that simple.
That would be sweet.
If it were that simple.
Hey! Lets go out back and play some Scrabble....
It could just be this simple.
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