Just brainstorming, I thought, what if I just completely boycotted all electronic screens. I would buy a cell phone with buttons, and I would watch nothing on TV, or anything on the computer. Basically spend none of my free time looking at screens.

I thought, what if somehow this could benefit mental health? What if these screens which are so essential to all our need’s today our really hurting us? I have no objective reason to believe this, but it’s a compelling interesting idea to consider.

Then I thought, how am I supposed to spend my time now? Okay. I have books. I can workout. Socialize? Wow. There’s not much. So I sat there for a few minutes really thinking about it. What if I really tried it. No screens. Would it have benefits? are these screens contributing to the apparent mental health crisis? Or would it just make me bored? Am I just trying to naively romanticize the simplicity of the past? I’m not sure.

I do think it would be interesting to try though. We rely on these screens FOR EVERYTHING! Literally everything. Their are people who use a screen for literally every activity they do, every minute of everyday of their life, aside from sleep.

What really struck me was trying to actually conceptualize what it would really be like if I actually tried this. I would be completely lost. The only activities I do that don’t involve screens, is working out, reading, and cooking. While those activities consume a decent amount of my spare time, there’s still so much time in-between.

All that time I spend surfing through youtube, or watching tv shows and movies, or video games? Even my writing involves a screen. It made me think, okay, what if I still used my laptop just for writing. And I could use my cellphone for listening to music, and perhaps, I could still watch my favorite TV shows. Man oh man. I haven’t even committed to trying this yet and I am already making compromises. I am completely addicted. Hopelessly addicted. And I am sure everyone around me is as well.

It’s kind of like being a drug addict. But drugs are bad for your health and wellbeing, could screens be as well? Even though it sounds so difficult, I might actually try this at some point. Because screens are so essential to our daily lives, perhaps the benefits of boycotting them could be dramatic, in a positive way. I’m sure we weren’t evolved to to stare at artificial light all day, perhaps it could make no difference, or perhaps it could be hurting all of us.