6/7/2025
I remember thinking when I was 10 laying winded and beat up on the hot concrete beside the wave pool at Wet N’ Wild just a couple of minutes after being sure that I was about to die, “Well, dummy, stay out of the deep end and you’ll be ok.” Because when it wasn’t too deep, the wave pool was great. And in a few minutes I’d be back, dipping my toes in. And then up to my knees. My waist. And you can imagine what come next.
I can’t claim the wave pool as my nemesis anymore. I eventually got enough of that. Thank goodness.
But now I’ve got a new nemesis. Too much information.
And this new nemesis is not so different from the old one.
I am so tired of the never ending rush of information pounding me back and down like the deep end of the wave pool at Wet N’ Wild when I was 10!
I do get it though, we live in the Information Age and information is King. And I probably had a hand in the coronation. But now I’m ready to start dumping something in the ocean.
It comes in so many shapes and forms, but mostly it comes through the internet and shows up on screens or through ear buds. And some of it is pretty great. But some of it quickly and very easily becomes too much of it. And before long, one becomes like a horse who’s had his hay salted the night before an important race. He’s so water logged (salt makes horses thirsty) that if he can get to the starting gate, he can’t hardly get out of it . Too much information doesn’t seem to liberate us, it cripples us.
The sources of the information are great at getting it in front of people and making them think that it’s helping them. And the more we consume, the more we think we need, and the more water logged we get.
Social media… Hint: It’s not actually about connecting with people.
News media… Another Hint: It’s not actually about the news.
Information overload. The great separator. Creators and consumers. We obviously need both. And we all play the part of both. But not equally.
I don’t really know what I’m going to do with this thinking. Getting it off my chest has been helpful.
Here are two next steps that I am considering…
- Setting parameters for when I will consume information of any kind. Maybe only between certain hours. Or on certain days of the week. The rest of my time will be solely devoted to creating things like memories, opportunities, stories, and friendships.
- Highly prioritize reading books printed on paper. The first one may be Lean Learning by Pat Flynn.
I do enjoy learning and exploring. And there is a lot of good thinking out there. Knowing too much is a real possibility, as strange as that sounds. I’m laying beside the wave pool wondering if I’d had enough.