Lately I have been spinning the idea in my head that we are becoming a nation of watchers and not a nation of doers. We watch football. We watch TV. We watch kids play. We watch our devices. We are actually, really avid watchers because we don't just watch we get really excited about watching and wear special clothes and set our lives around watching things.
For example, Pinterest. Ladies, do you know what Pinterest is? It is a site online or an app on your phone where you "pin things" to "boards" that you like. People pin hundreds of pins of pretty things every day. They pin clothes they like, hairstyles, home interiors, craft projects, wedding designs - all the pretty things a person can imagine. Which is great. Surrounding yourself with beautiful ideas is not a bad thing.
Currently, I am using it to pin specific things, but I think I am going to change it to be more of a way to capture Inspiration Boards for each season - but my ultimate goal would be to DO something with what I find and am inspired by.
See, I am not content to just look at beautiful things. I want to create, make, do things. I know that my mind goes into a new and wonderful place when I am doing something instead of watching something. The passive activity of watching - even if I am cheering a team in - isn't enough to induce the brain activity that ultimately gives me pleasure.
My tiny bit of knowledge of the brain though makes me think that the reason people go in the Watch Lane instead of the Do Lane is because it is actually much harder for us to learn or do new things. It actually causes a little bit of pain or exhaustion in the brain. And none of us like that feeling and so we avoid it. Watching makes us think we are accessing the pleasurable feelings because we aren't experiencing that initial bit of stubborn pain when dealing with a set of problems that come up when we are making something.
But, and this is a big but, we are short changing ourselves. We are going for the easy route. We are sacraficing development and long term growth for simple pleasures. It is like eating junk food instead of waiting to cook a real meal. Sure, it satisfies our appetite at that moment, but we are missing out on all the nutritional benefits.
We have to take back our time. We have to take back our lives. We have to make, do, experience our lives. We wonder why people suffer from so much low level anxiety, stress or depression and I would argue that sitting passively on the couch watching life might have something to do with that. Get off the couch. Seriously. Make small steps by committing to making dinner, going on walks with friends, crocheting a hat, learning a new dance step, playing with your kids instead of watching them play, write longhand - doesn't matter what the small step is, but as a nation - as a people - it is critical that we take back the power of our own creativity and make something. Do, don't watch.
