From Reactivity to Essentialism

For some time now, I've been seeking to distance myself from social media. I find in them a level of hatred that appalls me and calls me to move away. Anything becomes a reason for discussion, which I don't find negative per se because I firmly believe in the exchange of ideas. However, it turns out that the real reason is not to discuss but to distill hatred in a ruthless and completely unchecked manner. But who doesn't know this, right?

My reflection began a few months ago when I started questioning the use I want to give to daily things. How useful, judicious, and proactive can I be with each stimulus I generate? Simply by opening my eyes, what purpose do I want to give to that day? To the first person I greet, what do I want to convey? When I open social media, how do I want to act? Or more complexly, who do I want to be? Asking myself these questions triggered a series of reactions.

1. Seeing and listening more attentively: I began to detect the real interest that each content creator has. I realized that most of the content seeks to be impactful, eye-catching, and generate interaction. This led me to want to read what people had to say.

2. Reading analytically: What opinions does a short controversial content have? I wanted to carefully interpret the messages, count how many people listen, empathize, reflect, and above all, contribute. And I clearly discovered that they are there, but always at the end, abandoned at the bottom of the thread, without likes, or responses, without importance. Now the first place almost always belongs to whoever dared to distill the most hatred, xenophobia, homophobia, misogyny, or classism. Realizing this made me alienate for a moment and ask myself, "What am I doing in here?"

3. Desire to escape: if the worst comments are in the top spots, it is undoubtedly because it is the same community of people who like or comment to be on top. I wanted to leave those places; they do not represent me nor do me good. But on the other hand, I also remembered that all this path started because I asked myself: How proactive do I want to be?

4. Breathing, rereading: by nature, I am a combative person, I have to bite my tongue to not say things, and over the years, I have acquired some tools to decide which battles I want to fight and which ones I don't. So while my head was telling me, "we're going to hell or we start sending everyone to hell now"

5. Action or reaction?: The paradox presented itself before me, and I found myself in the always tough moment of choosing to be coherent or reacting without thinking. The game is simple, there are people acting and there are people reacting, we all play both roles in life at various times. But the problem is when we become simple "reactors," facilitators of other people's plans and objectives. Like a domino piece in the middle of the row, functional to the fall initiated by a finger, final evidence of the existence of gravity.

6. Essentialism as a choice: The problem with simply reacting is that there is no essence behind it; it is a simple existential action, proving to myself and others that I have a stance, that I am here, that I exist. Personally, I don't want to wake up just to exist. I want to open my eyes and have my thoughts and emotions be essential when greeting people.

Your thoughts are the flickering lights in the darkness of this lonely writing journey. Feel free to write to me and exchange ideas.