Watching the drama unfold

in OCD3 years ago

Over the last week and a half I have been watching a lot of sports from the Olympic games in Tokyo and have really been enjoying it, as someone who normally doesn't watch sport much at all. Big events are great though for so many reasons, as they come with a lot of expectation, underdog surprises and the drama that unfolds from all kinds of unexpected situations and questions that arise.

The drama triggers emotional response and this is heightened when there is a horse in the race so to speak, a national team, a favorite competitor. It is very easy to get drawn into the emotional vortex and get attached to the events proceeding with increased heart rate, tensed muscles and various feelings of happiness, disappointment, disbelief or anger.

We become emotionally and physically reactive to the inputs we are receiving, even though they are not tied directly to anything that affects our daily lives. If anything, watching the sport is a proxy for living a life, living vicariously through the tribulations and elations of others. It is because of this that it is entertaining, as to experience these events directly would mean that we are the horse so what we would be reacting to is something that directly affects us.

OI000061 (4).jpg

As much fun as it is to get emotionally invested in the Olympics, what I notice in myself is that the more I watch, the less I think - literally. We are products of our environments and our thoughts are no exception. Because the brain is pretty lazy in general, we reflect what we consume and end up thinking about, talking about, and producing what "we know" which usually suffers from an availability bias, cherry-picking the most easily available information, which is what we have just consumed.

It can actually be very hard to move our thoughts from one domain into something completely different and time is normally needed to clear the mind and make the transition. While the speed of transition varies a lot between people, everyone is affected.

Back in the days before joining Hive, I was watching a lot of series while comforting my daughter at night, as she was barely sleeping more than 30 minutes in a row. many hundreds of hours over the space of six months immersed in content, getting very little of value out of it. Once I joined Hive and started writing and within the space of about two months, I had a transition period of the shows in the background to the point I had increased my writing to take up all of the time I had previously been watching.

At the time, I was writing a lot and even though I was barely earning, I enjoyed the thought and practical processes so much, I just kept going. Many people asked how I was able to do it and it was pretty simple. Firstly I had to make the time to write, which was inevitably late in the evenings. Then, I would make short notes throughout my working day based on what I experienced, heard, thought or got fed through responses and replies to content and then, took the time to write at night after everyone went to bed.

My life became an overflowing pool of potential content that I could draw upon directly or as inspiration. It also pushed me to get out with the camera more to build a supply of supporting images and because I write from experience, it helped me become more sensitive and aware of my surroundings, including my own family situation. I became more sensitive to my environment and more reflective on what I consumed, which was my own life experiences.

The more I created, the more I could create.

As said, we reflect what we consume and what we produce is indicative of where we spend our time, which makes some of what people contribute quite interesting. A lot of content is derived from entertainment activities, a lot from investment and also from daily life. Yet, there is also a great deal of content that is essentially commentary on commentary, the regurgitation of views consumed, where there is nothing new, nothing fresh, just a repetition of other people's words. A lot of the political and social movement derived content is like this.

What I have noticed in myself is the less I get out of the house, the narrower my content becomes, which is due to the narrowing of my experience. During this period of time where I have been home a lot I notice the narrowing in my thinking and with the introduction of the Olympics and Splinterlands, it has narrowed again. While I really enjoy watching all of the sports, I am kind of looking forward (as is my wife) to it ending this week, so I can get back to thinking again.

While this is all in regards to content creation, I also think that it demonstrates why so many people get sucked into the blackholes of the internet, consuming and being forced down narrow rabbit holes of information and surrounding themselves with the walls of a content silo. With people spending even more time within their own homes now, it is no wonder that they reflect what they consume in their thoughts, as there is very little alternative and random content - it is all chosen on-demand and what we demand is what supports our view, not what challenges it.

And I think challenge is one of the rewards of content creation, as once the thoughts are directed toward a topic, a massive amount of thinking can take place, where there is a broad conversation inside the head that looks at what is being reflected from alternate perspectives. While most of this personal discussion will be omitted, the process of having it can help come to terms with issues as well as learn to be grateful for conditions, especially when it is based on personal experience, rather than the consumed experiences of others.

For now though, I am happy to watch and enjoy the passive experience of watching talented people do incredible things and indulge in letting my emotions react to what has very little direct bearing on my own life. It is an indulgence though and I will stay frosty so that what I consume, doesn't start to consume me.

Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]

Sort:  

I would like to watch Olympic games, but there's time difference. My countriy's national women volleyball team have been doing very well.

It starts too early for me, but I have been getting up or staying up to see some of the very early finals. by 5pm, it is all over for the day.

I wonder if @tarazkp in the internet and @tarazkp in real life are the same person!
I guess @tarazkp in real life is probably like a guy who screams when he gets drunk.😄

in real life is probably like a guy who screams when he gets drunk

You'd be very wrong. I just laugh more and a little louder than usual

You'd be very wrong. I just laugh more and a little louder than usual

I was just joking! After my friends saw your picture, they said you looked like a battle koala. 😄

전투코알라.jpg

전투코알라2.jpg

전투코알라3.gif

Currently, the battle koala is very popular among Koreans.
They recognized the koala as a cute looking but good fighting animal.
They said that you look cute (= handsome!?), but you look good at fighting.😄

Have never heard of a battle koala before. :D

I wonder if they meant drop bears? ;D

Dear @ryivhnn, Who invented the drop bear?😳
Koreans coined the term battle koala after seeing the fierce fighting of koalas.😄

전투코알라3.gif

Drop bears are a carnivorous version of the koala (they look exactly the same) so-called because they hunt by dropping from trees onto prety passing beneath and have been known to attack humans. They don't like the smell of Vegemite so if you are walking in drop bear territory it's advisable to smear it on the back of your neck and ears to deter them.

they're entirely fictional, it's a joke that Australians like to play on visiting tourists sometimes :)

Koreans thought that koalas were animals of peace, but they were surprised to find out that koalas are such excellent wrestler fighters!
When they saw the excellent wrestling skills of the koalas, they were amazed.😲

So, they created a new koala race called Battle Koala! 😄

전투코알라4.jpg

The drama triggers emotional response

I am grabbing my popcorn. 😂

!popcorn

Does this still work?

I give you some !PIZZA to that popcorn. 😂

Connect

Trade


@tarazkp! I sent you a slice of $PIZZA on behalf of @xplosive.

Learn more about $PIZZA Token at hive.pizza (6/10)

I would make short notes throughout my working day based on what I experienced, heard, thought or got fed through responses and replies to content

Maybe because of this I love your articles. There is always something to learn, to talk about.

Whenever I open my feed, half of the content is out of my understanding. And most of other half is okay, but there is nothing more to say.

When a person shares his experience, there is always something to relate to. To learn. And maybe apply from that experience.

I too share things that I have read, observed around me.

And the more I write about them, the more clear they become to me.

Thank you Taraz for sharing your writing process with all of us 😅 I will try to apply some of these lessons🙂

And most of other half is okay, but there is nothing more to say.

This stops me engaging too. People often write something that leaves no questions, no space to think. It is the way people consume now too - nothing left to the imagination.

I just got a compliment about you because of one of your comments on someone's post. Keeps it up.

Thanks🙂

Oh I loved to watch the games too, especially when I was a teen and had a lot of time. Ice skating and gymnastics were my favourite. And snooker games. It is fun indeed, it catches you quite fast.
***What I have noticed in myself is the less I get out of the house, the narrower my content becomes, which is due to the narrowing of my experience. ***
I can relate to this. I believe that when we go out of our comfort zone we produce the best for ourselves and others.

Did you do any sports growing up?

It is nice to find interesting content from one's own life :)

Not so much, I kinda flunked when it came to sports lol. " my back hurts":))) I did love to walk a lot on foot, does that count? I dislike running a lot, but I like swimming. As a kid I was mostly doing mental sports aka reading:))

I wonder about the consumer point of view when it comes to the internet and to entertainment in general. There is that pretty old saying You are what you eat, I sometimes think people think they are what they consume, that by watching Sports, they are themselves becoming Sports Stars. Watching Financial News, they become financial News Stars. Kind of like the expert of anything because they can google it and find it.

Perhaps that is the aspect of your writing and many others on Hive that keep drawing people in, you and several others write from experience, not expectation of a reward, or because someone somewhere said this needs to be written about.

Kind of like the expert of anything because they can google it and find it.

This is what can be a problem with a lot of the regurgitated content - it is all second hand, no direct experience.

I like the content that comes from experience and the heart - something authentic. If I wanted university theses, I would go back to university.

I enjoy the reality injected content. I wish more of the picture people would inject more reality into the picture post, yes some of the pictures are real nice looking, but when accompanied with the trials and tribulations of getting that shot, it makes all the difference in the world post wise.

I wish more of the picture people would inject more reality into the picture post

Me too. So many seem to be unhappy with the support they get, but don't consider what they are actually offering.

Make the picture interesting, why should I like your sunset picture over another sunset picture? Some people do a nice job of it like tattoodjay sunrise walk, wonderful pictures and with a short story of the walk.His Wednesday walk post/community do a pretty nice job getting people to talk about the photos or about the walk. Bringing a touch of reality to their post.


The rewards earned on this comment will go directly to the person sharing the post on Twitter as long as they are registered with @poshtoken. Sign up at https://hiveposh.com.

I guess the Olympics will definitely be an interesting one to watch.

Your content has been voted as a part of Encouragement program. Keep up the good work!

Use Ecency daily to boost your growth on platform!

Support Ecency
Vote for Proposal
Delegate HP and earn more

Congratulations @tarazkp! You have completed the following achievement on the Hive blockchain and have been rewarded with new badge(s) :

You got more than 67000 replies.
Your next target is to reach 67500 replies.

You can view your badges on your board and compare yourself to others in the Ranking
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word STOP

Check out the last post from @hivebuzz:

Feedback from the August 1st Hive Power Up Day

I love to watch the Olympic games and it is short-lived, so I watch when I have time, although that is limited. I am indulging and moving on. :)

Enjoy, it's almost over. :))