The world around us is growing increasingly complex. How do I go about balancing life’s complexity? As I get older, it’s becoming harder to understand what the “right” thing to do is. It feels like I’m constantly working towards things that I may never attain. Perhaps this is just part of growing up, but life was certainly simpler in my youth.
As a child, my mission was clear: go to school, do homework, and then head to sports practice. Occasionally, I’d have to study when the content got tough, but back then, everything was about learning. My parents, despite the flaws in their relationship, provided as much structure and support as they could. I was so immersed in after-school activities that it wasn’t until college that we discovered I was neurodivergent.
Maybe the good things in life are still simple. I always look forward to sitting down to eat a meal with friends, even though we see each other far less often now. Last weekend I had a barbeque with some friends in Tokyo. Watching the golden sunset around the grill and feeling I belong somewhere is the golden nectar of life. It’s not that the world is getting worse; perhaps it’s just more complicated. This comedian helps put things into perspective.
Modern life is Complex
It is a good time to be alive, isn’t it? Objectively I’m aware of all the modern conveniences that exist within modernity, so why does it feel so crushingly complicated? I have the sense that the weight of the entire world is on my shoulders. The crushing sense of weight is compounded by the feeling that I can’t even stand on my own.
Sure, I can get food from the other side of the world with just a few clicks, but the trade-off is varied. Now I also have to juggle countless responsibilities. It’s not enough to just do my job anymore. There is a lot out side of work. Improve my skills in my free time, pay taxes, manage medications, and ensure I feed myself properly. And on top of that, there’s this expectation to document everything. That meansmaking videos, taking photos, and writing blog posts about what I’m doing and how I’m doing it.
Modern life is undoubtedly convenient, but it’s also crushingly oppressive. The conveniences we enjoy come with a price: the constant pressure to do more, be more, and share more. With what little time you have left, you also have to find your Ikigai and do enjoyable things to make life worth living again. Balancing the enjoyment of life with planning for the future—navigating the ebb and flow of spontaneity and pragmatism—becomes its own challenge.
During college, I met with a therapist who came up with the analogy of life being like an ocean. I feel like a small little boat being tossed about by a storm with waves that make aircraft carriers look small. But perhaps life is easy and I’m the only one making it complicated.
More Insight from Random Youtubers
As part of the documentation of my life that only my aunts and my mothers read is sharing YouTube videos that I watch to help me understand the world.
Although I do belive there is difference between intelligence, wisdom, and knowledge in the words of one of my heroes.
I think I’m Dumb
Kurt Cobain
Obviously, I’m pretty stoopid if I can’t figure out what to do with my own life. . . personally I think the creator of our reality is pretty dumb to create a game without so far as a tutorial, instruction booklet, and a shitty User interface. You might be surprised to learn that this Video has over 5.7 Million Views despite the relatively low production value. It might be due to the universal nature of his content including a problem that the majority of us are struggling with right now.
The publisher knows how to run and manage a YouTube channel and relate to people at the very least. Socializing, relationships, and understanding the human being are so hard. A lot of people who are close to me almost lose sight of how socially inept I am. I think the person who knows the best how clueless I am when it comes to dealing with other people is my cousin. I’ve talked about my cousin Brandon before, his generosity and kindness.
Socially Inept
One of the reasons he understands me well is because he’s almost the polar opposite of me socially. I remember going to his birthday party and seeing all the people who genuinely cared about “Holland”. That’s his name on the military base because you use last names there. It’s not that hard to see why he’s easygoing, humorous, and straight up with people.
On my birthday, I could barely get five people to meet up. Somewhere along the way as a kid, I got the idea in my head that my birthday isn’t worth celebrating. I still think that now as an adult, though for different reasons. While some see being brought into the world as a reason to celebrate, I often view it as a constant struggle.
Sometimes I wish I’d never been borne at all
Queen
See Me at A Bar
If you really want to see how useless I am at interacting with people watch me at a bar or nightclub. Last Halloween was an exception, but usually I’m like a clueless roomba in these social settings.
Apparently, I’m Already on the Right Path
Unbeknownst to me it appears I’m already on the “right path” to get ahead. According to this YouTube video a good way to get ahead is reading books. Although that’s only part of the equation, the more important part is to try to utilize and apply the knowledge you’re taking in. One of the reasons I started this blog was to try to apply and use the information I’m constantly inputting. Hopefully, if I am successful in my life and career 10 years from now I’ll have a paper trail of receipts to point to. Furthermore, I’m hoping that I’ll be able to impact some other people’s lives positively.
I Disagree With One Aspect of This Video
While YouTube can be a great source for information. . Especially if YouTube listens to its community and brings back the like-to-dislike ratio button officially. There are certain things in this video that I don’t agree with. Million subs or view or not, the uploader states that video tutorials are not that useful compared to reading. I heavily disagree, a lot of my knowledge of Photoshop, FL Studio, and almost anything else I do has been learned through video tutorials. There is a reason why they allowed teachers to share documentaries in classrooms. Of course, similar to the advice given about reading, the best way to retain the knowledge in video tutorials is to put what you learned into practice.
I believe a good mix of learning methods is both varied and necessary. Learning often involves a lot of input—whether through text, video, or audio—followed by experimentation and creation. Sometimes you don’t fully understand what you’ve read, watched, or listened to until you start playing around with the program, and suddenly things click retroactively. That’s why reviewing is so important.
Avicii
Take this Avicii video, for example. I watched it almost ten years ago. At the time, I had no idea about EDM, music production, or who Avicii was, but I knew I wanted to learn FL Studio. This video helped me then, but it’s been even more valuable now that I actually understand what he’s doing. While I doubt I’ll ever reach the heights Avicii did in his life, watching this video now, I think it’s funny how both he and I use some of the same techniques—perhaps subconsciously, after having this video in my head for so long.
This might be getting a bit technical for those not into music production, but both Avicii and I tend to sidechain the bass channels more aggressively than other instruments. It’s a small detail, but it’s fascinating to see how certain techniques can leave a lasting impression and become part of your own creative process, even years later.
Linkedin Learning
Speaking of video tutorials and walkthroughs I’ve just completed my first LinkedIn learning course!! Although this learning course was more a review for me than anything else, I’m happy to share that there were useful insights gained during the training. During the content review a lightbulb clicked in my head that I could host multiple websites with my one webhosting plan. I’m cooking up a website and brand redesign that will have me redefine my narrative and online persona. Looking at some of the other LinkedIn learning courses I’m excited to keep gaining knowledge and sharing it with the world.
LinkedIn Is Cringe But Useful
LinkedIn is probably one of my least favorite social media. Out of all SNS sites, LinkedIn feels the most cleansed, fake, and stupidly optimistic. It’s dystopian the way everyone acts on the platform, like everyone is being their corporate interview self all the time. People aren’t people on LinkedIn. They become just the bleached corpo cleansed empty husks. That being said I’m down to “play the game” like a cyberpunk. This means you get all the useful insights and benefits of the system while putting a subtle middle finger to the sky. Almost all my LinkedIn posts are AI-generated, if I can’t be my authentic self on that platform I’ll interact in the one way that’s as fake, corporate, and dystopian as the rest of the platform. That being said I am gaining a lot of insight from the tutorials. The certifications I’m hoping will be useful down the road.
Empty Promises
LinkedIn feels extremely empty, especially when applying to jobs. You can send out countless applications, but the only response you usually get is silence. When I was desperate for employment a year ago, LinkedIn didn’t come through for me—I didn’t get my job through the platform. I can’t help but feel that they’re primarily interested in candidates from top universities. Furthermore, like the rest of the world, corporations have given up on us slightly older individuals in favor of young college kids. Perhaps it’s like the rest of the world that favors the youth. I feel like an older F1 driver desperately clinging onto his seat with young talent on the rise. If there’s supposed to be abundant opportunity on LinkedIn, why haven’t I seen it?
It feels like Microsoft has positioned itself as the one selling the shovels and pickaxes for the digital employment goldrush, but for many of us, it seems there’s no gold to be found.
Conclusion
Digital learning platforms are undoubtedly the way of the future, and while they offer incredible opportunities, it’s essential to approach them with a healthy dose of skepticism. As our digital world becomes increasingly complex, it’s easy to get lost in the vastness of cyberspace. However, by actively using and applying the knowledge we gain, we can keep ourselves grounded. Amidst the complexity, it’s crucial to savor simple pleasures—like sharing a meal with friends—and to seek out our Ikigai, the purpose that guides us through life’s challenges.
In the end, it’s about finding balance: embracing the digital future while staying connected to the things that truly matter. Moving forward, I plan on finishing the CS50 Course. After that, I’ll dive into learning 3D modeling and illustration. Because corporations love certifications I aim to get some official Adobe Certifications via LinkedIn Learning.
Most Importantly of all, I’ll keep making videos, music, blog posts, and whatever creative idea comes to mind. Keep creating, dreaming, memeing, and scheming for a better life.
Much Love 🩵🩷💖🦥,
LaidbackMarco
