I was reading Neil Postman’s Amusing Ourselves to Death
This isn’t for everybody; it requires commitment, discipline, and mental stamina. You can do this on a break from school but you can’t be holding a job during it. What it essentially does is it forces you into solidarity with yourself and no distractions. Think of it as spring cleaning for your mind and soul. It’s a largely meditative process that cannot be acheived in a weekend; it takes a long period of time for you to settle down with yourself. At first, I was in a bit of a depressive state but you eventually move out of that if you are motivated. After I went through it, I knew exactly what I wanted in life and gained a fresh new passion to live and make use of my time. It helped me become more humble and come to term with difficult issues in my life. Overall, it helped me understand myself better and helped develop a life-long philosophy/goal.
Where can you isolate yourself?
I basically kept away in my house for 3 months; most of which I was in my room. If you have an extra guest room in your house, an empty garage that can be converted into a temporary room, or a cabin in the woods, these are the ideal places to retreat to.
What can you have in your room?
No TV, no computer/laptop, and no cell phone/land line. I understand that sometimes, there are emergencies so a landline hooked up to an answering machine to screen your calls is acceptable. Basically, you want as little interaction with the rest of the world as possible.
What do you do?
It will be very tempting but you cannot sleep all day. Here are some things you could do:
- Read
- Journal
- Write- anything/everything
- Meditate
Pick up Amusing Ourselves to Death
