2025 in review
Last year, I wrote down four things on my /now page that were really about future intentions. I did get called out for cheating in that way. Maybe I was mentally taking credit for things I had not yet done by putting them there as if they had been done. Perhaps I was not able to think of much to put down pertaining to the now as of that time, so put those there to fill up the space. Since then, I’ve cleaned up my /now page, but I’d like to look back on those four items and review how they played out during 2025.
Phasing out social media
I waffled on this for a while before decisively pulling the plug on it. Simply put, social media is an addiction. Many critics point to the corporate overlords of these platforms, whose motivation is to farm your attention, which together with billions of other users, is commoditized and sold to the highest bidder. When this is the real game afoot, of course the product will be corrupt! This line of thinking led me to the false promised land of democratized social media. Take away the profit motive and collectivized decision making, turn the platform into a protocol where users have choice in everything. What could go wrong, right?! As I explored this possibility, I even customized my client software to remove features I didn’t like, like likes.
What did I learn from all this? I concluded that the original sin of social media is the lack of effort it encourages. This goes for both the content produced, and the act of consuming it. Removing the predatory masters and blatantly addictive features does not solve this problem.
Thinking about moving
Moving as much as I have throughout my life is a hassle. Part of me would like to put down real roots, but then I’d probably feel like I was missing out on experiences like living abroad for a time. Given that I have this wanderlust, I’d like to make the most of it by exploring places I may want to settle down in, and by practicing minimalism as a skill. It’s not that I’m against having stuff, but that I don’t want to be tied down by it.
I moved to Arizona at the end of last year, and since then I’ve moved twice within the Phoenix metro area. With a motorcycle as my only transportation, this has put a constant pressure on limiting the things in my possession. Much of my experience being here has been of disillusionment. Constantly getting stuck in bad habit loops while an uninspiring job drains my motivation. There is something worthwhile in this entire experience, however. In the extreme minimalism this life here has pushed me towards, where so much of life has been stripped away, this process of removal has extended to my longtime vice of alcohol. Isolated, far removed from my own past, and worked almost to my breaking point, there was no room left for that menacing comfort. The richness of life can return after the lessons of poverty have been applied.
Another benefit to come out of this time has been that facing boredom led to creativity, further development of this website, and other computing projects. I’ve also found more enjoyment of nature here with the fascinating desert flora, usually sunny skies and vibrant colors of the sunrises and sunsets.
Hoping to spend less time in front of the computer
Back then, with a full time computer job and an obsession with tinkering with decentralized social media software on the side, there was no clear path to limiting my screen time. Losing that job was the bitter pill it took to reach a healthier balance between computer technology and the rest of life. Coming down from that extreme excess, I can feel the relief in my body. I think 8 hours of daily screen time, especially combined with sitting, is too much for anyone.
Planning to start a blog
And here we are, thanks for reading my blog! I am grateful that the IndieWeb exists and for everyone who reads this. I could keep a journal, and perhaps I will in the future, but for now I feel that writing in public provides the most advantage in organizing my thoughts and discarding the clutter. I also believe that it gives me a form of accountability. Looking at these four items I wrote about doing last year, they were all difficult, but they all got done. I owe it to you, the reader, to put the effort into my writing and to stand by my words.
Other reflections
Turning my focus now to the wider world, the second term of Donald Trump and the government shutdown gained a lot of attention in the news this past year. At least that’s what I gathered, as I don’t follow the news directly. In my opinion, there is nothing surprising about either of these events. As I see the unfolding of world history, we stand in the midst of a decades long decline of the American Empire. A morally and increasingly financially bankrupt empire. It’s a bumpy road for sure, but the options to veer to the left or to the right appear illusory. The only controls are the gas and brakes: are we going for a crash landing or a nosedive? Also, the voters don’t have their hands on these control. The ballot box offers a placebo button. Technology will play a major role in the political reorganization that is underway. The bloat of the system itself produces millions of bullshit jobs, increasing automation will eliminate millions of non-bullshit jobs. Everyone is fighting over scraps, trying to own a piece of a bankrupt future so they can keep their hamster wheel of consumption spinning. Sometimes, the only winning move is not to play.