“Reduction” is in the air for 2024. I pulled something from the aether last month about this. Then a couple of days ago I saw Emma Gannon’s Substack post, “Instead of ‘smashing goals,’ how about adding more creative rest?” And then a friend of mine posted on Facebook, “My word for 2024: Reduction.”
I loved what Emma said:
“Instead of adding on goals, I’m entering into this new year with this intention/question: what can I take away? What can I do less of? How can I incorporate more creative rest?”
Amen, sista. I’m all about those long walks with a prayer rope in one hand, a cup of coffee in the other, getting ever closer to petting and befriending that family of deer that reside on the bucolic grounds of the monastery.
But I have bad news for myself and my brothers: Now isn’t the time for rest. It’s time for boot camp, especially if your hands are cramping with the exertions of your Xbox controller.
What do I mean by “boot camp?” Well, I’m not excluding going all “prepper,” though I think that’s probably a good idea. I mean that we need to prepare to fight the spirit that presided over the Colosseum, and later, over the gulag.
Have you heard of the “Universe 25” experiment? An American scientist, John Calhoun, created a paradise for hundreds of mice in which they had an abundance of food and water. With all their needs met, the mice rapidly reproduced until around the 315th day. At that point, reproduction took a nosedive. In the last days of the colony, he observed some troubling behavior. A new class of male mouse appeared: “the beautiful mice.” They had no interest in anything but sleep and food—not even reproduction. In addition, the females lost their maternal instincts, either ignoring or murdering their offspring.
Then they began tearing each other apart.
Dr. Calhoun repeated the experiment 25 times. The results were the same every time. It has become a model for predicting societal collapse. It’s difficult to find a link that doesn’t spin the experiment as evidence that we’re overpopulating, and that’s bad, but this will have to do.
There’s more to it, but you get my point, right? Here we are in the midst of abundance and convenience, and everyone has this sense that we should probably be stocking up on dry foods and toilet paper.
My intent with this post, here in the morning of January 1st, 2024, writing in a coffee shop, which has been my tradition since as long as I can remember, was to talk about goals. I was going to suggest that we need to be thinking about “habit goals,” not “outcome goals.” You know—don’t make your goals about losing X pounds of weight or getting Y number of followers… Make your goal a habit—“I’ll hit the gym five days per week,” or “I’ll post on Tweetface three times daily.”
I still think that’s valid, but for those of us with a certain traditional leaning, I think it’s essential to be working toward one common goal: the preservation of our culture and safety of our families.
I don’t mean to be alarmist here. I just think it’s time to stop joking about it and start taking the warning signs seriously. I certainly don’t want to wax political—I don’t think it matters who wins the next presidential election. All I’ll say is that you should probably read “Live Not By Lies” by Rod Dreher. “The Benedict Option,” too. These are now more relevant than ever. Then plan your resolutions accordingly.
Ever hear of Todd Snider? He’s been called a “hippie troubadour,” among other things. He’s a master storyteller and musician—one of these freaks of nature who can play guitar and the harmonica at the same freaking time. His stories are hilarious. “Troubadour” is apt.
I saw Todd Snider in concert once. Maybe more than once. There’s always the scent of burning leaves and diapers wafting through the air at his concerts. I’m pretty sure it affected me.
Anyway, Todd has a song called “Side Show Blues” that goes like this:
It’s all a big commercial, it’s a video of man.
It’s a plot to put an end to my attention span.
They make up all these issues, I never understood,
If I thought I could change things I’d run to Hollywood.
But it’s hard to kick the door down
When you ain’t even wearing no shoes.
It’s a circus out here, mama, your baby’s got the sideshow blues.
Check it out:
We’re overstimulated. Our souls are cluttered with all this allegedly necessary detritus here in the first quarter of the 21st century. We’re buried under expenses for things we don’t need and we self-medicate with all these subscriptions that feed us spiritually necrotic ideas all day long. It’s exhausting. And infuriating. And debilitating.
We’ve reached peak civilization, I think, and we’ve never been less content.
As Emma, Lisa, myself and many others are saying these days, 2024 should be about subtraction and reduction. Maybe focus on doing less and more on getting ready. Don’t let the distractions overwhelm you. Be at peace and get ready. I have a feeling 2024 is going to be wild.
Seems weird to pitch business services at the end of an apocalyptic post, but hey, until the zombies overrun everything, we still have to make a living.
I’m hanging my shingle out there for writing services. Got a product, service or department that needs to churn out content? Let’s chat. Here’s my website:
I write blog posts, email campaigns, and website copy. I’ve been doing this for about twenty years, give or take. So, if you or your organization wants to really connect with prospects and stand out amidst the noise (particularly during the rise of the A.I. sideshow), we should talk.
I think "Reduction" is an excellent word of the year. Recently I really feel like I want to be free of all the mental clutter and go back to a simpler time. But it's hard! Also- that mouse study is extremely disturbing! 😱