Time Has Come Today

Oh, put that thing down

Messages in a bottle are so quaint.

Telegrams are anachronistic.

Smoke signals are ancient history.

Click.

You have it all at your fingertips. You can watch it live or you can watch it at your fancy. You’ve got one in your pocket, on your desk, or quite possibly in your hand as you read this.

Click. Click.

My ex-wife was all over Zuckerberg’s plague early on. To survive in that household and decrease my anxiety over what was going on with family and friends, I finally bit the bullet and joined about 15 years ago. I don’t think I held out for too long. Imagine what it would be like if one partner was occupied on the phone and the other was curious or did not get involved.

Click. Click. Click.

I took to it like a duck to water and loved being in touch with friends around the world. It supported my music obsession and was (and will remain) a place to share my reviews, writings, and oddities. Jesus, who knew I had so many friends?

But I have removed all socials from my phone and will only message and phone people with that device now. No more procrastination and death by scrolling. It had gotten worse over the years. Sometimes I think the Covid lockdown made it much worse.

Click. Click. Click. Click.

All part of me being more here, right here, right now. All part of a sense of decolonising myself.

Our minds

Our hearts

Our souls

It will take your lifetime to re-learn what is the truth.

It’s a fabulous journey if you can get back to something that connects you with heart, love, and community.

Being present is all that matters.

Fear of the unknown future that never arrives is no place to be.

I move and lean into the natural world and look at slowing down. Not for my health but for all of us. Thinking about what impact I can make with the time I have remaining is not a career or a job or something forced. It’s all that I feel is right.

My energy is to be used for love and joy and laughter and learning. I do what I can. I tangle with the 4 agreements and hope that I can be a good man. All that I do impacts my community, my family, my children, my grandchildren. Everyone. We know we are all connected.

Colonisation and capitalism have done us no good. Our land, our ceremonies, our communities, and our ability to live a life of joy and beauty have been damaged. Indigenous family around the planet have been abused, let down, and massacred. Healing and change is the only way forward.

Then you come across the Marubo people in the depths of the Amazon who in the last 9 months now have access to the world. Elon Musk’s Starlink has brought the same problems we have faced for years to this remote Amazon tribe. From that recent New York Times article:

“When it arrived, everyone was happy,” said Tsainama Marubo, 73, sitting on the dirt floor of her village’s maloca, a 50-foot-tall hut where the Marubo sleep, cook and eat together. The internet brought clear benefits, like video chats with faraway loved ones and calls for help in emergencies. “But now, things have gotten worse,” she said.

She was kneading jenipapo berries to make a black body paint and wearing ropes of jewelry made from snail shells. Lately, the youth had become less interested in making such dyes and jewelry, she said. “Young people have gotten lazy because of the internet,” she said. “They’re learning the ways of the white people.” (link to NYT article move bottom)

Then she paused and added, “But please don’t take our internet away.”

This is evil magic bestowed upon a culture that created their own. We know how this plays out, just look outside your window or into your phone.

The struggle is a global one now. Everyone has access. A connected global community is a beautiful idea.

Unfortunately, the usage and blatant commercialisation of the medium are now the message.

“Should I buy these socks?”

Click. Click. Click. Click. Click.

My phone is free to roam without the constant itch of a social media scab. It’s early days and body memory caused me to look for the logo on my phone. I laugh and then I reach for a pen, or my notes, or my laptop and start writing.

Paying attention.

Wish me luck.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/02/world/americas/starlink-internet-elon-musk-brazil-amazon.html

Oh

Now the time has come (Time)

There's no place to run (Time)

I might get burned up by the sun (Time)

But I had my fun (Time)

I've been loved and put aside (Time)

I've been crushed by tumbling tide (Time)

And my soul has been psychedelicized (Time)

Now the time has come (Time)

There are things to realize (Time)

Time has come today (Time)

Time has come today (Time)