Dive Into the Wild

The earth is 4.7 billion years old. The Appalachian Mountains are roughly 480 million years old; they were once as tall as the Himalayas and now the very tallest only barely break 6000 ft. The Tetons are a relatively young 9 million years-old. The oldest known sculpture, the Venus of Willendorf, is estimated to have been made between 27,000 and 30,000 years ago. The first permanent settlement in North America was settled 409 years ago. Just over 150 years ago, our country split in two to fight a bloody war over the right to use fellow humans as chattel. Ten years ago, the iPhone had yet to go public. Nine months ago, the thought of Donald Trump as president was still funny.

The point is, time is precious and for a very brief amount of it, we have the gift of life. Nine months of our lives are spent in the womb. On average, another 71 years are spent out and about, not reaching the age of reason until more-or-less, our 8th year. That leaves just over 60 years on average, far less than the blink of an eye in the grand scheme of things, to make our lives matter, and yet how much of that time is spent in front of a screen, basing the merit of our lives on likes, upvotes, hearts, and shares?

How many of us have gone on Facebook or Instagram or Twitter while having a blast on vacation, only to see that someone else is in a “cooler” place, with a slightly better sunset on a given day and thus a whole bunch more likes? How many of us, have been jolted by the changing of someone’s profile picture, god forbid a significant other changing to a picture that doesn’t include us…

This summer, I joined my family on vacation in Jackson, WY—after which I ultimately decided to move here—on which my mother banned social media. My younger siblings, including two young women in college, left behind their phones. I had a separate travel itinerary as I had joined along late in the game, so I brought my phone, but mostly agreed to the ban even at twenty-four, leaving it behind on day trips. But when I got back to our rental home, I couldn’t help but break my silence and check Facebook and Instagram.

Here I was in the wilds of Wyoming, and I was jealous of my ex visiting a hemp festival in Virginia. Granted, we’d broken up just two weeks prior, but I was hiking in the Tetons, going whitewater rafting, camping in the Gros Ventre while the sun set magnificently over the Tetons, and she was at a hemp festival. In Virginia, not Colorado. We’re talking rope, not edibles.

When I finally pulled the trigger and got rid of my various social media platforms it was like a cloud had lifted. Not only did I suddenly have extra time on my hands for actual substantive learning, but all my interpersonal exchanges immediately became that much more intimate, as the only way to contact people was directly.

There’s no more throwing shade, perceived slights, or jealousy; I’m not bombarded with silly memes and my Kardashian consumption is once again non-existent. Look, I’m not saying social media is bad, in some ways it can be beneficial, but do we need to use it as much as we do? Try taking a break; toss away the social media and dive into the wild.