I don't want to start a fight, but...

At the risk of sounding antique, some things WERE better before the internet. There, I’ve said it.

(And I remember that - so I am reasonably antique these days. Not bothered)

I think it’s worth a Post-it on your most ranted-at screen as a reminder that we really have no idea what anyone else’s newsfeed looks like.

None at all.

Whatever your persuasion, I’m sure you can’t make head nor tail of at least half the political posts you see.

How can anyone think that?

They must be mad.

Or evil.

Or stupid.

Coincidentally, that’s probably what they think about you.

Right and wrong have gone all bendy.

People used to know what was true.

They’d have a debate down the pub, hear other opinions, agree or agree to disagree, finish the game of darts, and get a bag of pork scratchings for the walk home.

Job done.

Now the algorithm largely gets to decide.

Opinions have gone a bit Play-doh-ey.

GET A GRIP, IT’S A BLOODY JOKE, GROW UP, FLAGS UP, FLAGS DOWN, NAZI, SOFTY, WOKE, LEFTY, BIGOT, BLOODY RAINBOW PEOPLE … ranted, neck veins bulging into the abyss.

No one’s listening, everyone’s offended, and half the planet seems determined to ‘educate’ the other.

(To be honest, that’s the one that gets on my wick.)

It’s almost like the billionaires pulling the media, energy and corporate strings benefit from keeping us all busy arguing.

Which is all as may be.

But what do we do with that?

Maybe the answer is to switch it all off and go and live in the forest. And to be fair, the bit I’ve done is
highly recommended.

But most people won’t.

We’re much too far gone.

Amazon grants instant wishes, and that’s a lot to compete with.

See also Netflix, Spotify and Temu.

What we believe is likely to be the sum of everything that’s happened to us.

Family, friends, education, disasters, trauma, success.

A personal cocktail we chug by the pint rather than sip, unless we’ve actually stopped to think about it.

For me, wellness/wellbeing (I'm never quite sure which) has nothing to do with vanilla candles or reflexology.

A little to do with meditation, vegetables and fitness, of course.

That’s the minimum.

You can’t cheat that bit.

But mostly it’s the thinking.

Working out the fundamentals of how you want to live, how you want to move through the world, who you’d be in the wild.

Algorithm shhhhed, everything switched off:

What the bloody hell do I actually want?

What do I care about?

What do I really not enjoy?

What will I be pleased I spent my life doing when I’m 90?

Am I brave enough to want something I’m apparently not supposed to want?

To risk the fury, or being ‘cancelled,’ or upsetting the person I cannot face spending one more Christmas with?

Or risking some temporary discomfort for the chance of the life I actually want.

Why shouldn’t you have that?

Amy and I just spent some time IRL this weekend with some superb Human Upgrade members doing this wellbeing-affirming, critical-thinking.

There was a degree of lying on the floor, but mostly important thrashing out of things.

(We have more of these coming up soon, open to all - drop us a line if you'd like to be kept in the loop. Will probably change your life, just saying...)

You don’t need to do it with us, but I’d genuinely recommend giving it some attention if you haven’t had the chance.

It isn’t Amazon-ly convenient.

It’s sometimes uncomfortable, and it might frustrate the hell out of you. (I’m not selling it very well, am I?)

But the outcome is a life you’re proud you lived, frustrations removed, obstacles handled, goals achieved.

With less stress and more energy.

These are much better selling points.

So maybe give it a minute.

What do you believe?

What would ninety-year-old you wish you’d done?

It’s worth thinking about.