Sorry No Internet Today

Using technology too much can lead to anxiety, and it can distract us from our usual daily life, I believe everybody knows that. So, during this pandemic situation, which I'd been confined at home for a while, it got harder for me to focus on studying. What I decided to do next was a "detox day" for technology.

What I found out, after watching this video, that it is quite strange to quit everything we are used to. It is wow, so weird! Watching all sorts of content on my tablet all the time, then, zero, none. The video calls out for a new dopamine fix on things that are not enthusiastic anymore. That's what I needed. 

With nothing to do, I got time to read the news on paper, and to stay quiet for a while. Enjoyed the silence, like that song.

By the end of the day, when I thought it was all too boring, I decided to flick through some pages of a magazine. Then something became clear: I just noticed how the colors, the designs, quality of the paper, facts all there was quite fun. I thought it was interesting again to read a magazine. Something I don't do anymore, neither go to a newsstand!

The next day I woke up with no need to turn on the radio whatsoever. So strange still! Haha. Later at home after work, I studied a bit, without stressing - too much, I may say -, over this. I managed to sit down and to watch some classes on video (alright, online classes, but what one can do?) I noticed I felt detached from the rush of excitement provided by information, memes and gossip. Maybe I'll do this again next week : )

Lebanon's Definite Moment

picture: unknown artist

I remember during the Chilean protests, probably, in October 2019, there were spreading news about other demonstrations around the world. One of them was in Beirut, Lebanon. People took the streets to complain about corrupt politicians and surge in mobile phone tariffs (I heard of!) Right now what we see is much worse. Even people who have seen war say this doesn't compare, because they wouldn't know how they could die.

It's been a month and two days since the blast at the Beirut port. The residents of the Lebanese capital went on the streets to protest once again, and this time they said "enough." Turns out living here in South America makes you a bit alienated; the situation has been bad for long in Lebanon. Corruption, mainly, led lots of people to the streets in October last year, as I mentioned before. So in April 2020, a currency crash, and coronavirus lockdown made people furious again. Now this. 

We see countries' situation getting bad often when there are politicians who not let the power go. In this case, Hezbollah leading party, let the corruption spread out, and serves as an Iran influence in the region. Demonstrators are trying to set new elections so they can have a change, and they deserve it more than ever. 

While writing this, I remember I watched a few Lebanon movies that competed at the Oscars. Then I noticed that almost every year we see a Lebanese movie standing out for awards. It makes me sadder to realize we won't watch new movies, if the country goes deeper in this spiraling crisis.