Inputs

"Do not read the newspapers, or follow the news in any way or form..."

"Do not read the newspapers, or follow the news in any way or form. To be convinced, try reading last years’ newspaper. It doesn’t mean ignore the news; it means that you go from the events to the news, not the other way around." - Nassim Taleb

It kills me to watch people stuck to the news. As the sun rises on a beautiful day, they sit and read or watch or listen about what this representative said about that one and this piece of legislation or that. If it were not emotional for these people, I would not care. If it were informational, in order to complete a project or make a business decision, I would not care.

The problem is they get crushed by it. They are elevated by it. So tied to what the podcasts and broadcasts say that they seem to not live fully in our world anymore. As if that thing were somehow more important than what is actually happening at home. Maybe it is. Maybe I am wrong, and I should sit hunched over a newspaper or in front of a TV and absorb whatever it is that is going on 2000 miles away instead of stepping out the door.

News sees this. The ability to control people by making everything seem so important. Breaking news, plus an ad for a home security system. News app, to Youtube clips of news, to podcasts, to radio...you can be receiving inputs all the time.

Here's the thing: we think we have unlimited capacity to receive and process information, but we don't. Just like food, we can only bring in so much. Just like food, it flows into our systems. And just like food, if you bring in too much junk, it poisons you.

I hate TV for this reason. I also hate NPR. I hate magazines. I hate any input that is not targeted specifically at bringing in needed information. I used to listen to podcasts or books on audio when I'd ski or hike or drive. What I have found, though, is that these activities are excellent times for thought. They are the precious few moments I have to sort out all the inputs and make decisions and connections.

I am not promoting ignorance here, but self-control. I feel like the fewer inputs I allow, the more I can get out of each of them. When I can make sense of them, when I can embrace silence, that's when I find peace of mind.

For years I have kept a list of books I read that year, as if a longer list some year might mean something. As if getting to the 50th book by November meant I was smarter. What I am grudgingly learning is that I can look back on this list of titles and have no recollection of some of the books. Others, I will recall, but not remember. Maybe two of them meant enough to write notes about and re-read.

Going forward, I am trying to slow the reading. Absorb. Write questions. Make the reading experience one of depth, not breadth. Treat each as if it were the last I'll ever read. Control the inputs and live this day.

Derek Sivers once said, “If more information was the answer, then we'd all be billionaires with perfect abs.”

If you can’t control your inputs, you won’t have any control over your outputs. You won’t have any control over what’s in your brain moment-by-moment. And you’ve got to carry that with you all the time.