Life used to have a lot more nothing in it.
In waiting rooms and grocery store lines. The few minutes before the movie previews started. That long stretch of road void of everything but scenery. The space between arriving and whatever comes next.
Nothing happened there. Or at least that’s how it looked to untrained eyes.
But a lot can happen when nothing is happening.
Two people sitting a breath apart, waiting for their names to be called. Staring out of a restaurant window. Leaning against a wall, watching the world and the people in it pass by.
Time appeared to move slowly back then. Slow enough for us to notice.
But those nothing moments seldom stayed empty.
A conversation would erupt. Observations and memories shared. Questions that might not have been asked otherwise.
We drifted into one another’s attention because there wasn’t much else to compete with.
Now those pockets of time are nearly nonexistent. They’ve been filled with notifications. Headlines. Videos. Texts.
Algorithms answer questions we haven’t had time to ask ourselves. Our attention is wrangled by everything but what (or who) is right in front of us.
What gets lost when nothing doesn’t get a chance to become something?
Maybe we miss out on things that are hard to measure. Accidental conversations. Half-formed thoughts. Mundanity that’s worth remembering.
Every era leaves something behind. Maybe nothingness is one thing we’re leaving behind now.
In this week’s episode, we’re getting into what happens to touch (and each other) when we fill up the nothing with blue light and screens.
Listen here (up there 👆🏾) or on your favorite platform.
