YouTube Think-Piece Essays and Me

Recently, I've been delving more and more into YouTube essay videos. The videos are wonderfully mind-opening for me in the sense that they make me think about things a little deeper than I might have thought of them organically. It feels like a great use of some of my time, and it's encouraging me to spend less time plugging my ears and distracting myself. I feel like I'm doing more these days than I have in the past, and that's such a blessing. I'm also noticing more than I have in awhile regarding my surroundings. Usually I'm too plugged in to actually feel like I'm a part of the world around me, but things feel a little different these days.

Right now I'm thinking a lot about overconsumption and the role that I play in that. I saw a video someone made on YouTube about quitting Spotify using an mp3 player. It was an important video for me to watch because it reminded me that there are avenues to listening to music ad-free, but it also reminded me of the fact that I sure do shop for shiny new things a lot, and from Amazon too... I'm making a large footprint on the environment with everything that I purchase. Sure, it's not as big a footprint as big corporations that dump their electronic and other waste into the ocean, but it still makes a difference. My money is how I vote for what is valuable and important to me, whether I want to admit that or not. How else do you think companies and corporations are able to convince politicians to work in their interests? That money has to come from somewhere. It's not all from me, but I'm still part of the problem if I'm helping to fund these companies and private interests, whether directly or indirectly. The person making the video was right that I have a CHOICE in where I shop. No one is holding a weapon to my head and telling me I can only buy brand new from Amazon, for example. I have the choice to opt for Amazon, eBay, Thriftbooks, and several other places in person or on the internet. I also have the choice to buy second-hand items to help reduce my carbon footprint. And you can find some great gems when shopping second-hand too, like old iPods for your music collections and such. They still work and the planned obsolescence with them seems to be less intense than it is with current electronics. All I'm saying is that there are decisions I can make... and, for what it's worth, I always did like second-hand items. I get lazy with wanting shipping speeds to be faster, but in all actuality, waiting might not be a terrible thing. It would encourage me to THINK before purchasing, especially since second-hand purchases usually are harder to return for a refund. It could help me to stop shopping as much.

I'm also thinking about how important it is to keep important and personal thoughts to myself instead of putting everything out there for the world to see. Of course, I'm sharing some things on Dreamwidth and with friends, but in my everyday life, I'm embarrassed to say that I'm a bit of a blabbermouth. I don't like that about myself, but it's hard to NOT share things as they happen. I just get so excited sometimes! But then, I think an important part of letting that joy stay alive is NOT making myself vulnerable to hateful comments and thoughts from others. Even if it's not hateful but tone-deaf, comments can kill my enthusiasm, so I think it's important to protect my peace by SHUSHING MY MOUTH. It's not a mean thing towards myself, just a thoughtful tactic.