*beep*beep I looked at my alarm clock as if it was the greatest villain ever . I wanted to grab it, smash it, burn it and then eat its remaining pieces. I woke up to another day that would repeat itself. Wake up, check my phone. Glue my eyes to the screen for 30 minutes. Then I realize that I will be late for work and put my phone away. Hop into the shower, stay there like a dead body for two minutes. Get dressed. Wear the usual second handed clothes. I check my phone again. This time I looked into the devil’s app: Instagram. Smiles, smiles and smiles: that’s all I see. While I am sat here as a lone monkey, everybody’s out there living their best lives. Or are they?
I walk outside while still looking down on my phone. I keep scrolling and at this point it’s surprising that my fingers aren’t injured. I get on the bus. “Doors closing, doors closing.” I look at the calendar: 19 June 2043. *low battery. No it can’t be! I had forgotten to charge my phone yesterday from all the alcohol. I felt my lungs contract from the rage. A minute later my phone died. The last time I ran out of batter was 4 years ago. I felt terrible, it was so bad that I thought of banging my head to the wall. After a few minutes my conscience kicked in. I started to actually see for the first time. Everybody, every soul in the city was looking at their phone. They were mouth breathing, endlessly scrolling. I arrived at my destination. Although I had seen all the advertisements on the streets this was the first time they really appeared to me. Every corner was a colourful ad. The new Iphone, burger, Gucci socks you name it. It turns out that my mind was playing tricks on me. It was like waking up from the Matrix. I made the biggest choice in my life in a split second. I ditched work and headed to the mountains.
It’s been a year since I have been living in a tent. I feel unearthly happy. I grow my crops like my ancestors did back in the day. I am still unsure of how I woke up from my sleep of modern addictions. Although it was very sudden I think it built up over time. You might expect me to say something like: I have gained superpowers and I am a super millionaire. But no, that kind of stuff happens in movies. I don’t live in one. Despite this I can confidently say that life is improving. I am quitting my addictions one by one. “ We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.” – Aristotle