I watched this video, “6 Ways to Cultivate a Spiritual Path,” and since most of the advice is applicable to any spiritual practice (not just the Buddhist lens that the video’s creator is coming from), I’m sharing it:
While Nick Keomahavong mentions that online communities are useful, responsibly, I would like to add that — in my experience — it doesn’t mean that anything online goes. Rather, prioritize the types of online interaction that most resemble face-to-face interactions: things like video chats, small groups where it’s possible to send audio and video messages, and checking yourself to ensure that shallow likes/clicks are not replacing deeper interpersonal engagement. In person and online, never use people — something else very common on social media due to the desire for more likes and views.
Something I’ve tried to do over time is excise myself from social media communities in favor of investing in actual reciprocal relationships with other human beings. That’s why I now stick to this blog after having learned my lessons of the late 2010s and early 2020s, why I’m choosing to do my writing content on Substack, and why I’m binge-listening to self-help books on Audible about how to trust other human beings and be analog. Focusing my activity to only a few places — and having boundaries about what they’re for — lets me redirect my attention to human connections in a way that wasn’t possible when my attention was divided.
KALLISTI 