1000-yard Stare
The "thousand-yard stare" is a blank, unfocused gaze caused by dissociation. It happens when the brain psychologically disconnects from reality to cope with acute stress, emotional exhaustion, trauma, or sensory overload.
While I was walking through the city today, sitting on public transport, watching people at a café, I noticed that even those not staring down at their phone, had a kind of blankness to them, like they were disassociated with their surroundings.
Have they seen too much?
I suspect not.
But I also think that it is taking less and less for people to be "traumatised" in life, where every little slight, every negative emotion is turned into an event that impacts on them, no matter whether it is important or not. It is like we have forgotten how to evaluate, rand and prioritise our experience. Whatever is in our attention right now, is the most important thing in the world.
And it is perhaps because our attention is caught up with so much meaningless junk, we don't have enough to spare to look at our world, to notice other people, or to actually work on the things that are important to us. Because we put so much effort into all of the meaningless, we have nothing left to spend on what matters - and it wears us out, it "traumatises" us.
Attention is the most important resource we have, because it is something that we choose to direct and, where we direct it is where we are going to experience. Yes, we can experience things unconsciously, but our conscious experience is directed by what we point our attention at. Whether it is to build a new skill, or to be immersed in a movie, to hear the background instruments in a song, or appreciate some art - it is our attention that gives rise to our experience, and our memories of it.
But I think that so much of our attention gets spent on passive consumption that influences our thoughts to focus on what we are told to focus on, that we have forgotten how to direct it ourselves. We get "bored" unless there is something outside of us keeping us entertained, keeping us consuming. And it isn't only the children who have grown up on screens that experience this, because many of my friends who were raised in an analogue world, are now much like their kids, if not worse. At least the kids have been conditioned as children to be consumer robots. The adults today, conditioned themselves.
How much of our life is spent staring at a screen?
And what are we getting in return for it? Sure, there is the work-related activity on a screen, sitting behind a desk, pretending to read a spreadsheet. But what of the non-work entertainment activity that teaches us at best trivia? While you can start on the road to skill development through books and screens, at the end of the day, skills are built actively.
Well, that is not true.
Everything we do is building a skill, it is just that the skills we are building through staring at a screen are not the ones we would want to build, as they bring no value.
Calluses on the arse cheeks, rather than the hands.
But I was thinking about this today as I watched other people and was wondering what it would be like if I could see myself traverse the city from the outside looking in. Would I look any different to the masses of others?
Maybe not.
Maybe.
Taraz
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I suspect it is because to have been traumatized, to be a victim, is in vogue.
I have been trying to limit my screen time, just as I tried to limit my childrens' screen time. I don't take my phone anywhere. While at home, I turn off my phones, unplug the wifi router, and do all the stuff that does not require technology, without the constant compulsion to check whether or not something has changed since the last time I checked. At least two hours off, twice a day, and all off for the night. It was hard to do at first, I kind of starting jonesing, but it has gotten easier.
In order to fill those four hours a day, I cook, garden, play my fiddle, do tai chi, go for walks, read books, pay my bills, make phone calls I've put off for far too long, clean, and the like. I am a far more productive person, and happier. I sleep better.
I hope I look different to others. I'll bet you do.
I think so too. Celebrated, rewarded.
I bet it was hard. I think I should do similar.
Great to hear!
You have described a very significant trend associated with mental well-being in the contemporary era. It appears that there are many people around us who look completely blank and disconnected from what happens now. People get distracted all the time with some trivial things online instead of being concerned with reality. As a result, people waste valuable mental resources on trivial things that take place in everyday life but are meaningless.
In this way, society gets tired mentally and traumatized by trivial problems.
Triviality seems to be all most people are interested in these days.
I think that now I have seen all
levels of absurd.Today I saw a post on facebook: In some place in Lithuania 4 watermelons were stolen. They were worth 200 eur... Maybe this would be better suited as an comment for on of your WTF posts. Still...weird. When I will sell prints I will ask 350-400 eur for one of my originals(76 x 50cm). But even if succeed in selling it I will be only getting 8 watermelons worth of money? feels weird. Maybe I would earn more by growing watermelons.😛Also speaking about absurd prices 1 pallet of wooden briquettes now cost not 300 and not even 350. No, it cost...370 eur. WTF Hell is going on?
what kind of watermelons were they!!!!!
Because oil is so expensive, they can charge for all heating materials I guess.
When I ride the train to Seattle, I also watch people, some are on the phones, but majority is not and I don't see them having a 1000 mile stare... Maybe it is more of a Finish phenomenon?
Do they look alive? I don't see humour or much interest in people these days. It is like they are just biding time, waiting for something better. Maybe it is just here, or maybe that is what I see.
I am the train now, everyone looks like they are with it, a couple people are talking on the phone. Maybe Americans are just with it...
After pandemic, I think many people have disconnected from their surroundings, and chose to live alone.
Yeah, it has definitely worsened since.
That’s a very accurate observation. These days, many people seem to be physically present, but their minds are elsewhere. Thank you for sharing this insight with us.
Live in the moment - and all people do is consume.
Ok thanks
I think many people are becoming disconnected from what is around them because, we spend so much time on screens and small distractions that we forget to pay attention to real life.
Yes.
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STOPYeah, people are busy scrolling phones just for some dopamine or just have no reason for smile, when watching others in real life. We live in different times dominate by AI, social network and other not really important things in life. I remember, when I was at event with other unknown people, but it was different. I felt the true strong connection between people who just gather in the same place for fun, smile and joy. I miss this times, when as a student was able to meet people at games events.
I definitely spend too much time staring at a screen. A lot of times for no good reason at all. It's still hard to restrict especially that part, the senseless one. To work on excluding the screen in moments where it's not necessary, and just a habit. A bad one.
I guess being aware is the first step. Now comes the rest...
I'm sure my wife would probably argue that HIVE takes up more of my attention that it deserves.