Fourth time's the charm, it must be.
I've tried so many times before.
This one's about social media.
Oh man.
I'm an addicted dummy.
All it takes is one click —
That's what I said.
It's just gonna be five minutes.
That's what I said.
Just a few videos.
That's what I said.
I won't be there too long.
That's what I said.
I'm just gonna comment something real quick.
I'm not even addicted —
That's what I said.
I can stop whenever I want to.
That's what I said.
It's just a few clicks, a few likes — it won't matter.
I still go to work. I have friends.
I have a life.
That's what I said.
But how wrong was I?
Scale of 1 to 100?
Try a million.
I'm addicted.
To my phone.
To the screen.
To a world that is not me.
Addicted to escaping reality,
To not living.
To an imaginary world
Where nothing matters —
Except what someone else created.
Strangers.
Posting their best versions of themselves.
Filtered highlights of moments
That they want you to see.
And I sit there…
Soaking it in.
While I slip further away from myself.
I've got inklings.
I know I'm losing touch.
I try to escape my reality
For their version of it.
Something that won't criticize me.
Won't hurt me.
Won't look at me the wrong way.
Something that won't defeat me —
At least not right now.
But maybe later it will.
When I'm numb.
When I've traded connection
For dopamine.
For a hit I haven't felt in a long time.
That's really why we do it, isn't it?
To escape.
From this turbo-charged reality.
A reality where some of us haven't been hugged in years.
Haven't heard the words:
"You did good."
"You matter."
How often does a man hear that?
Not often.
But you open social media…
Tap a few things…
There's your attention.
It distracts you
From how messed up your life might feel.
And that's how it wins.
Because coping is necessary.
Depression's at an all-time high.
Worse than crack.
Maybe not in what it does to your body —
But what it does to your purpose.
It's hard to find meaning
When your life is trapped in a scroll.
You don't realize how much is slipping away
Until it's gone.
Until you look back
And all you see
Is a screen.
A blank wall.
A few likes.
A few comments.
A few shares.
And nothing that mattered.
You won't even realize what it took from you
Until it's too late.
But there's hope.
The best time to break a habit
Was five years ago.
The second best?
Right now.
I'm not saying disconnect forever.
I'm saying cleanse.
Try it.
Even if it's just temporary.
Try it like a new workout.
Or like you're chasing a girl.
Or trying to feel something real again.
Even if it's small —
Change is change.
And maybe change is what saves you.
Maybe self-discipline
Leads to real discipline.
And real willpower.
And finally reaching that goal
That felt so close…
But always out of reach.
Maybe putting down the phone
Is what helps you pick up your purpose.
Just try it.
You might even thank me for it.