“When anger trawls the Internet,
Looking for a hook;
It’s time to disconnect,
And go and read a book.”
-An Ode to Social Media from the book Notes on a Nervous Planet by Matt Haig
Years ago I discovered a wonderful other, Matt Haig. Haig is the writer of Reasons to Stay Alive, one of the best books I’ve read on the issues of depression and mental health.
We live in a very chaotic world. The pandemic is still going on. Mass shootings seem to be a daily occurrence. There is racial strife, there are people still unemployed, and our planet is becoming more corroded. We’re stressed and anxious, and our continuously connected digital world is making our lives a bit crazy. So that is why Haig’s 2018 book Notes on a Nervous Planet so timely.
Notes on a Nervous Planet is a collection of essays that reflects on how certain advancements in technology like social media can actually create difficulties in achieving happiness. He also examines how our addiction to technology can be a difficult one to break. And Haig fully confesses he has a hard time letting go even though he realizes getting wrapped up in an argument on Twitter or thinking you constantly have to be connected to your devices isn’t always a good thing.
In Notes on a Nervous Planet, Haig claims he’s not so much anti-technology, as he is human connection. We need to log off every once in a while, stop comparing to the images we see on Instagram, stop binge watching Netflix, and so on. Granted during the pandemic, it may be more difficult to connect face to face, but perhaps the pandemic is making us more aware the importance of seeing each other in the flesh rather than Zoom or Facetime, though I am grateful those things exist.
If there is a message in the pages of Notes on a Nervous Planet, it is this: We are special and we matter. We need to connect in what makes us uniquely human and interesting. We need to appreciate what we have and not focus on what we don’t have, especially when it comes to prestige and material wealth.
Haig writes in a way that is both comforting and relatable. He never lectures; he just lays it honestly and realistically. It’s okay to disconnect from the smartphone, from the laptop, and the television. Look for other things to stimulate you whether it’s cooking a fine meal, practicing yoga, or reading a good book. Now excuse me while I disconnect from this blog and take a walk.
thebookselfblog 