More analog

less digital

There’s a place about ten miles from the house where, if you walk to the end of the main trail and then veer left to wade down a stretch of ice-cold sandy-bottomed creek, you reach the St. Croix River. Of course, you’d been walking alongside the river this whole time, banks visible through the trees, but here is a place where cold creek meets mighty river in a confluence of color and temperature and current, a place less visited by people due to the need to walk through icy water to get there, a place that feels just a little more wild than the canoe campsite around the next bend, even though neither are accessible by roads.

The walk down the creek is shocking on your feet, but after awhile you get used to it, sandy bottom making the trek toward the wider river just a little easier. When you go the other way, walking upstream, it’s an adventure all its own, full of climbs over fallen logs, scrambles over rocks, and the need to navigate changes in water level and obstacles underfoot. But here the water spreads out and smooths the sand into an aquatic carpet, soft and welcoming as long as you can stand the cold. Eventually you’re rewarded with a respite on a sandy shore, warmer waves lapping at your feet as you watch the quickly moving shallow water meet the main river’s current, smaller vein meeting artery, earth’s lifeblood moving toward the sea.

Don’t Let the Robots Get You Down

There is an energy– it’s
there in the ether
on the ground
running through the soil
nestling deep in the bedrock
settling with the sediment of lakes
washing downstream via small tributaries
into the massive veins of rivers
that feed the earth's seas.

An energy untamed
by technology
refusing to be styled
into the next profitable product,
a fringe
refusing to be unraveled
by life online,
an analog sea
counterbalancing the digital fray.

We must ensure this vital source of life, water, is protected. It’s a source that supports all of life on earth, and it’s one we need to return to again and again, even if only in memory or hopefulness.

I kneel down to feel the cold, clear water. As I do, through the ripples I catch a glimpse of what can happen if we go back to the source. I catch a glimpse of the more beautiful world that is possible when all perspectives are considered.

I’m thinking this summer about what’s real and what’s not, about how much I don’t like AI and digital everything¹ and what so much of AI and digital everything is doing to humans and animals and plants and rocks and rivers and the sky. I worry that my attention span is shorter than ever. I wonder how growing up with all of this will impact my daughter. I worry this river won’t always been so clear and full of fish, shores home to countless birds and otters and foxes and deer and insects. I wonder what actions taken today will truly make a difference. I worry most actions won’t but hope continuing to take them will, somehow, make a difference. I wonder what the appeal is, of AI, specifically the ability to create fake stuff²—money, I suppose, as it usually is, but I still can’t really wrap my brain around why you’d want to have a computer create your art or your answers for you, and why you’d want to be entertained by the same. Efficiency, when it comes to creating, I suppose, but doesn’t that take the satisfaction out of creating it?

I could go on but I’ll leave it for now, as it’s time to go out to the garden to check the state of the tomato plants and see if there are any zucchini big enough to pick for lunch. Two things I’m pretty sure AI can’t do, and I hope that always remains the case—as I have very little interest in living in a world where one can outsource gardening to a digital tool.

Anyway, I’ll leave you with…..

5 Ways to Embrace An Analog Lifestyle³

Right then, so, how does one embrace analog in a world gone digital?

1: Play records. Read books. Attend live plays or concerts or poetry readings

Being intentional about selection, having to mindfully prepare for the experience, and the fact that you can’t just easily fast forward to get to the parts you want — all of these details force the sort of attention that is often hard to come by in a scroll and click existence. I don’t know about you, but I want more attention/intention and less scroll/click. More theater/literature, less “next episode” on Netflix.

2: Cook from scratch.

Food is a pretty significant part of a human life, so this must be stated. As easy as convenience food is, it makes a difference to prioritize setting aside the time required for selecting, cooking, and mindfully enjoying what you eat. Eating at home also requires less interaction with crowds and strangers, which is a bonus for those who value their alone time. You can still order takeout sometimes, and there are plenty of meals you can prepare with very simple ingredients. Less eat and run, more savor and enjoy.

3: Wander.

Even though there are SO MANY THINGS to do, there is much value in allowing the list to fall to the wayside and drift now and then – even if it’s just for five minutes in your mind while seated in your office chair with your eyes closed. A whole day of wandering in the woods is a fantastic way to reconnect with the slower pace that is lost in a digitized world, but just five minutes of mental meandering can have a positive impact. More wander, less frenzied list completion.

4: Create.

It’s easy to just head online to buy a new picture to hang on the wall or some socks to replace the ones with the hole or a birthday card for your mom. It takes more time and effort to paint a picture or knit some new socks or craft a card. But what if you, at least sometimes, took the time and energy required to make what you want yourself? Dusting off your creativity has the power to create all sorts of ripples if you can push past the fear of getting it wrong toward just starting. Less get it now/perfectionism more one step at a time/imperfections add character. Also, your mom would love it.

5: Learn, or re-learn, how to navigate.

Rely less on the little voice in the phone to tell you where to turn next and really pay attention to where you are in the world. Paper maps are sometimes missing new roads and need to be updated. But relying on your brain and sense of direction (and perhaps even the kindness of a fellow human) seems like a good thing. Asking a real person for directions sounds terrifying to most people, even the extroverts, these days - but there is value in human interaction, no matter your personality type. You might be surprised how empowering it is to reclaim ownership of your directions. Less disembodied voice/GPS, more compass/community.

I have found that my sanity as a modern human depends on fostering the right balance of analog and digital in this digital-focused world. In a nutshell, this is what helps me: Being where I actually am. Developing the capacity to notice the details of the days. Reclaiming my attention from that which wants to make it a commodity on the open market. Having the stillness of mind necessary to discern when to push out of that comfort zone and when to stay put.

Use new technology, but don’t let it use you.

Old school might not always be the best choice (I mean, a paper map in the middle of a huge city at night in traffic? No thanks). But sometimes it is. Especially when it comes to how we’re showing up in everyday life. Less fragmentation, more focus. Less distraction, more presence. Less chaos, more calm. Less digital, more analog.

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UPCOMING SUMMER EVENTS

Women Outdoors at Springbrook Nature Center: Connecting with Nature for Wellbeing

Do the words "slow" and "summer" feel too far apart to ever meet? If summer's pace feels like too much, spend an evening with author Heidi Barr to cultivate the pace that supports being fully present for the season. Meet in the Springbrook Nature Center Pavilion at 6pm, where we'll gather, do some introductions, and spend some time with simple reflection and mindfulness practices before heading out on a mindful hike. We'll close our time together with some gentle stretching and poetry. Participants must be 16 years of age or older to register. Registration required through Springbrook Nature Center: Register Here.

1. As I write to you on a digital platform. I know, the irony.

2. like videos, or images, or stories, or whatever else AI has been taught to create

3. First published at Becoming Unbusy.