The late great American poet and songwriter Leonard Cohen once said: “If you don’t become the ocean you’ll be seasick every day.”
In this uncertain age where the world of work and society are shifting rapidly to accommodate Artificial Intelligence’s (AI) advances and how it’s morphing our jobs, I find these words are becoming eerily relevant, especially for the youth who feel vulnerable to peer pressure and comparisons.
They may start doubting their passions to pursue “cushy jobs” that even aren’t spared the threat of retrenchments. It only takes one lonesome evening doom-scrolling and you’ll find yourself drenched in endless clips of influencers, giving advice on relationships, fashion, your diet or offering you financial tips to catapult your salary.
This habit can become pernicious as we think we lack fulfilment in our careers, love lives and physique and start to loathe the present time.
Now your algorithm can predict your interests and you may return to this feed as a form of therapy like these TikToks and strangers understand you.
Now you’re swimming in a stream of the latest trends in slang, fashion, music and now your conversations and clothing become singular. Now you may hide your unique individuality out of fear of rejection as it drowns in the mass of information you consume.
You keep hearing people say that they heard a new movie was terrible instead of watching it themselves and offering their own unbiased opinion.
Instead of freely being ourselves more people seem to latch onto the narrative and memes of pop culture and join the “cool club”. I’m guilty of this too and I admit there are gems of handy advice glowing amid the “brain-rot”.
There’s dates, delicious recipes and funny cat videos available with the swipe of a finger, but when do we stop, reflect and allow some introspection before we fall prey to instant gratification and hits of dopamine?
It often seems more relaxing to enjoy a whole bag of crisps laying inside a warm bed binging Instagram reels or watching the latest series than finishing that new novel or completing our gym goals.
As a young adult enduring work traffic, deadlines, loneliness and dating disappointments, it’s easy to become irritable and cynical and let our egos wreak havoc and become addicted to pleasing ourselves. No pun intended there.
It’s uncomfortable to confront our insecurities and shortcomings. When we consider our dreams we may think have become dusty old toys we left on the shelf, but that’s where the personal growth lies.
With every push-up you may feel your arms start to shake as you struggle to pick yourself up from the floor. We could wonder why are we making our bodies suffer and yet we forget this pain forms microscopic tears which allows muscle fibres to grow.
When we read a book we unshackle our imagination, visit a character’s world and experience their challenges and understand our heartache is a common thread extending from as far as the 1800’s and will always be relatable.
We’re quick to forget our progress when scrolling on social media and seeing someone who already has the kind of lifestyle we desire but hardly consider that we’re only seeing a mirage someone has carefully curated to reflect their ideal selves to the world.
We’re obsessed with aesthetics and living life like celebrities and fear being seen as “cringe”. Especially young artists feeling exhausted about the hustle they endure creating their art and feeling upset about the views they receive and the bills that could care less about harmony and cinematography.
But remember, my friends, today Vincent Van Gogh’s artworks are priceless despite his struggle in selling those beautiful paintings. So enjoy the present tense and understand your work and legacy will live after you.
There’s a beauty in floating in these chaotic seas of modern life, seeing how technology and social media has connected us to network and form relationships.
Artist Tyler the Creator constantly reminds artists and content creators to forget the numbers and publish their art because “you never know who’s watching”.
