Tozak Filming

Alright I know I talk about this a lot, it’s another piece about phone usage – digital devices – mindless consumption – yata yata

But I seriously believe that the past few weeks have been my greatest days of consistently, intentionally staying off the device. And I’ve been living in this spiritual mode that I’ve experienced before, but nowhere near the current depth and length. It’s a way of living where I feel that I’m in constant contact with vivid intuitive thoughts which are trying to guide me on my path. It’s a feeling that the veil is very thin – meaning it’s easy to intercept the whispers of the inner voice. I’ll do my best to explain what this is like. This phase actually all started with something unintentional.

In late October, I lost my phone for a week. And funny enough when I lost it, I genuinely had no desire to find it. I knew right away it was a sign to stay away from it for some time – maybe half the day, or a couple days, or a whole week (!) And so I didn’t go scavenging for it during all my free time. I looked in a couple places where it might’ve been in out of impulsive necessity (?) but I honestly didn’t care to have it again.

So the only hyper-digital device (a centralized piece of tech that carries out a bunch of tasks, also one where you can scroll lol) I really had access to was what I’m typing on right now – my laptop.

Besides that, I had a fairly clear space with me mentally and physically wherever I went. 

Now, I have done phone detox phases in the past, but after they ended I would go back to pretty much a similar way of engaging with it – struggling with the impulsive grab and surf, hyper attachment to notifications, and mindlessly consuming in dead space. 

And I intentionally implement habits and routines into my life which connect me to my soul instead of draining it – journaling, meditative practices, walking, silent solitude outside. These practices as an addition to my life certainly help balance the disconnection I experience from digital devices; however, the struggle with impulsive usage still remains. 

That said, this specific phase of a week without my phone (again, an unintentional one turned intentional) has actually rippled into the days and weeks afterwards once my phone came back to me – it was in my mom’s room and she found it while cleaning. 

And there’s 2 main things I want to highlight and talk about regarding this phase. The first is the reason I believe this week without the phone has actually been influential over the weeks following it. And the second is this source of consistent inner power I’ve been in contact with since first losing my phone. This inner power is something intrinsic within all of us, and it naturally fills up the space that’s created when our devices are removed.

There was a key component from this no-phone week that made all the difference in its lasting effects – decentralization 

The reason our collective attachment to our devices is so hyper is that this little piece of technology is so centralized for so many tasks we carry out in the day – communicating with people, checking emails, checking the time, listening to music, writing down things, searching things up, and obviously so much more.

So, during this week, I had to find a way to do these tasks without my phone.

This started with music for me. Since I didn’t have my phone, I no longer had bluetooth for spotify in my car when I’d go driving. So, for the first time in ever (?) I listened to the radio. And I have a radio in my bedroom I listen to all the time, so I love the mystery vibe that is radio music – you don’t know what’s going to play next. But I never played it in the car since I always had my phone with me, so streaming music was just the “obvious” way.

But listening to the radio in the car was a different experience on many levels than just being able to easily play whatever song I wanted whenever I wanted. I found more freedom in just driving and listening to whatever was on the radio, instead of constantly assessing in my head (which would happen sometimes when listening to Spotify) “Am I really enjoying this song enough? Would I enjoy another song? Should I change it?”

And I have to be honest, and I’m sure many of you can relate, I have found myself in the past trying to switch songs while driving, even on the highway, because I didn’t like the one that was playing. Not only is this reinforcing the part of the mind that forces and fights to be stimulated, but it’s also … hmmm… I don’t know…. Super dangerous???

Listening to the radio helps you to let go more, and it’s also cool to know that you’re tapping into something uniquely collective – others are also listening to this song right now in the local area. And hey, if I don’t like the song or if they’re playing a bunch of ads, I just switch it off and drive in silence. Listen to your car, the outside, the wind. Whatever you do to stimulate yourself and your senses should ideally connect you more to this moment, not bring you further from it – whether that’s listening to music, looking at the clouds, talking to someone, reading a book, taking a walk, or even watching a piece of content. All of these experiences, in my experience, are best experienced (woah that’s a lot of experiences!!) when done in a way that feels right with the soul. 

If I’m doing something to force a feeling and there’s this dynamic that I’m chasing something to fill an undesired space, then I feel that I’m disconnecting from both my soul and this moment. 

And this all thematically aligns with our collective usage of these devices. Even if the reason we grab our phone is for something “purposeful” (instead of scrolling or mindlessly consuming) there’s still this feeling of needing to have something right now. A dynamic that places you out of power and instead gives this device the ability to satisfy your desires. 

It’s a cultural thing, and us individuals make up the culture so we all have our part to play. Only you truly know your own relationship to your devices and how they’re affecting your life and desired way of being. You hold the answers within as to how your phone usage is connecting and disconnecting you from spirit, life, and this moment.

Another thing that came up during the week was audio recording. I realized that I like to use the voice memos app A LOT on my phone to record long creative ideas or thoughts I have and melodies for music that I write or hum in my head. So I got my old tascam recorder from my closet, which I bought during film school and hadn’t used in years. Perfecto. It got the job done and honestly felt so much better than using voice memos. 

And this is another thing – the state that we’re in when we use the phone has an impact on the task we’re carrying out. This is subjective, but I’m sure many of you can relate. There’s a certain feeling the body associates with being on the phone. For example, reading a book physically may be different than reading that book via ebook on a digital device. This is connected to the idea I explained before about the dynamic that’s at play where we’re trying to chase something. If the most common attributes of our experience when using the phone are mindlessness, dopamine seeking, and other draining feelings, then of course those things will seep into every other thing we do on the phone. It’s like being frightened when there’s a jump scare in a horror movie. A part of our mind knows the thing isn’t “real”, but our body doesn’t know that. It has to do with associations we make and how those associations inform the mind and body. When it comes to the phone, we have certain associations – mental and emotional – which are triggered when using it no matter the reason ( scrolling, texting, checking something online, playing music )

So using my tascam recorder to record my own ideas and even a long, fun, hilarious conversation I had with a close friend, just felt cleaner. Like there wasn’t this thing in the ether that was charged with a weight of many different things – some that can muddy the energy. 

I also walked around with this old manual clock from my desk when I’d take walks at the park so I knew what time it was. I continued my practices of hand writing thoughts, feelings, and ideas into my little pocket journals. And I’m thinking about buying a flip phone instead of sticking to my iphone, and maybe getting an old ipod or another device just for music. 

So all of these things combined, I believe it was and is decentralization that’s making the difference for me in my life right now. I also found this cool little Peruvian satchel in my closet where I can carry around little objects with me – sticky notes, pen, a play ball, deck of cards, batteries, pocketknife, and anything else. It just feels like there’s this energy of physicality entering my life that I’m all for. More advanced does not necessarily mean better. It comes down to which way of life we want to live and which way of being we truly believe is for our highest good. Our technological age will continue to advance exponentially, but we don’t have to just take everything for granted. We can slow down and experience more enjoyment from less things. This is indeed possible.

Now as for the inner power, during my time of centralizing the phone, I’ve been in more direct experience with life itself – working on my creative craft, working in a focused manner at the library, going outside, taking walks and being with my own thoughts, eating healthy foods, playing tennis with friends and doing tons of socializing. And it’s the combinations of these different things that have put me in contact with important intuitive thoughts and ideas that apply to my own journey.

It could be a conversation with a friend, an idea I get while walking, a synchronicity I notice that repeats throughout the days – all of these things stand out so much more vividly now that the phone isn’t this constant role that it used to be. I believe it’s because I’m more sensitive. 

I feel a stronger, longer, more consistent and closer connection to my spirit, and so things that are supposed to stand out to me do so in a more vivid manner. It’s like I’m living off of an inner power as opposed to being fueled by an external piece of human technology. It’s almost a little hard to explain and articulate. It’s a feeling and experience that I just have while living this way. And I’ve been doing so much writing and journaling of all these important revelations that have risen. It’s all given me this great clarity on where I’m at, what I’m ought to do with my work, the creative energy I should bring to my craft, and much more.

All of this proves to me the spiritual power we hold within ourselves – and how it manifests when we allow it to. Imagine a ball that floats in the water, and you’re holding it down. All you have to do is let go and there it is – effortlessly arising to the surface.

You don’t need to create the ball, it’s already there. You just need to let it go.

Your inner power is right there within you – it’s your connection to God, your intuition, your spiritual power and your ability to know deeply within what it is you must do.

We’re at a point in our human evolution where our creations are increasingly taking over this process of finding answers and information. It’s easier and easier, with each passing day, to delegate this search for truth over to an external device. And so it is becoming more and more important to intentionally and consciously find that truth within.

The most helpful thing is to remember that you are indeed capable of finding that truth yourself, because it is within. The things that resonate with you in this world are mirrors for the truth. They don’t give you power, but rather reflect your own power back at you. That’s why they feel right.

Like I said before, this is a cultural thing and I believe it’s connected to every other sphere of human society. Our collective thoughts and beliefs are what determine our actions, and which create the state of the world we find ourselves in today. And since digital devices are one of the biggest things affecting our thoughts, beliefs, and mind, these devices are directly related to the world we see around us. So we need to do our part in not giving away our power and control to something that’s in our pockets. 

There’s something more beautiful and fulfilling on the other side of comfort. There’s ways to change your relationship to your device and to your life, and hopefully this story helps you. 

Right now I’m currently focusing on maintaining this momentum, because I feel and recognize it’s importance in my own journey and our greater mission in aligning humanity’s choices with a higher path. A higher way of living.

I’d encourage you to seek that way of living in your own life – however that looks like to you. The truth is, no matter what you do, time keeps going. The days will pass and you will decide how you spend them.

It may not seem like a lot when we use our phones for a brief moment during dead time/space, but these add up. The little actions and decisions we make create the larger, collective picture. And I don’t care if this sounds cliche but the fate of the world depends on these little actions.

So yea, good luck. BWAHAHA – seriously though we got this. The question isn’t whether or not we’re capable, the question is whether or not we’ll do it. I believe in us. I believe in myself and I believe in you. So here’s to living life more consciously and doing our part in creating the culture that runs the world.