Stimulation – Finding the Right Dosage to Stay Engaged
02_11_2019
Stimulation – Finding the Right Dosage to Stay Engaged
Let me begin by explaining how this topic appeared in my thought process. I was prompted to think in this direction as I was reading various selections from Meghan O’Gieblyn’s recent book titled, Interior States. I happened upon this book by reading a review of it in the New York Times. I was intrigued by its title – and I think I let the title influence my understanding of the review – as I interpreted the title as a metaphor for reflections along spiritual lines.
The book does contain a series of reflections on different topics, but those that touch upon the spiritual have a greater degree of religiosity than I’m personally comfortable with. And it turns out that the title is to be taken literally – it refers to the States within our country that are located in the interior. The author seems to be focusing mostly on States that are considered part of the Midwest.
The first chapter had a profound impact on me, and it’s what got me thinking about the impact of becoming too isolated. The author’s opening lines talk about living in a very rural part of Michigan. Given that I grew up in I Illinois, I was familiar with many of her descriptions and comments. The author’s descriptions are especially powerful in capturing the feelings that can accompany the openness, flatness, and isolation of some of the communities within these States.
Her descriptions reminded me of the internal tug I felt when I was faced with the decision of moving from central Illinois to the Boston area. I was definitely anxious about leaving an area that to me at the time was home. But I was also very excited about living in the Boston area. I’ll share an experience that led to a startling insight that has bearing on this paragraph as well as the title of the first chapter in the book: “Dispatch From Flyover Country.”
The Power word here is “Flyover,” a term that she uses to describe the Midwestern States as “less a destination than a corridor, one that funneled travelers from the East into the vast frontier of the West.” Here’s my Power Insight about a Flyover that weaves its way into this discussion. Once I made the decision to move from Champaign-Urbana in Illinois to the Boston area, I flew to Boston to search for housing. I flew out of Willard Airport in Champaign, and the flight path flew directly over the community college where I had been working for six years while I completed my doctorate degree at the University of Illinois.
My work at the community college represented my first real job in the sense that it gave me a sense of potential career pathways. I thoroughly enjoyed the work and my graduate instructors allowed me to tailor some of the course assignments so that they offered opportunities to learn more about the work I was doing. Needless to say, a large part of my life was related to my work. Because the airport was only a couple of miles from the college, it was very easy to pick out the college from the air. Here’s the insight that hit me as we flew over the physical layout of the campus: “Oh, my God, we just flew over the place where I’ve worked for the last six years in less than 5 minutes.”
That insight awakened in me a new perspective or way of thinking. The world is so much larger than the smaller spheres in which we spend our daily lives. It is so easy to get caught up in the drama and dynamics of relationships and the politics of family and work which can lead to missing out on so many other experiences that are available to us in life. This new awareness raised concerns for me that if I stayed in this community, it could become a very suffocating kind of experience after a few more years.
More of the author’s words in Chapter 1 touch upon a similar insight. “It is difficult to live here without developing an existential dizziness, a sense that the rest of the world is moving while you remain still…Today opportunity is the province of cities, and the view here signals not possibility but visible constraints.” Those are some powerful words, and if you were to read only the first chapter in the book, the skillful descriptions would envelope you in such a way that you could feel the concerns that feeling isolated awaken.
Reading parts of this book made me think about what my life my look like had I not moved to a larger urban environment. I would not have had the same prompts and stimuli that have led me to grow, move out of my comfort zone and discover more about who I am. One of my initial reactions as I was processing all of these realizations and insights was one of gratitude for the many gifts of stimulation that come my way with little or no work. There are more opportunities to meet people with diverse interests and experiences. There are myriads of ways to spend time to learn, to have fun, to just recharge and refresh. How lucky I am that these experiences can cross my path via a friend’s sharing, a local newspaper or flyer, through social and professional networks, etc.
This line of thought brought to mind some of the books I’ve read recently that are attempting to explain some of the cultural and political divisions that we are experiencing in our country. Books like Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance; Educated a Memoir by Tara Westover; and, The Forgotten Americans: An Economic Agenda for a Divided Nation by Isabel Sawhill all touch upon the challenges of living in a rural area where there is a lack of stimulation as well as opportunities to renew and expand oneself.
Several insights arise from this discussion that I think are worth calling out in our efforts to continue to evolve. First, finding ways to ensure that one’s life is such that there are frequent opportunities to learn and take part in new experiences. Ongoing growth also nurtures curiosity which is essential in helping us muster the energy and motivation to learn new things. Yes, being faced with the need to learn too much too quickly and at too rapid a pace is not desirable either. I remember when I moved here to Boston and had to figure out how to navigate the roads I felt overwhelmed. I didn’t drive anywhere in the first 9 months without several maps on the passenger seat. I can remember one day just ripping a map in half out of frustration that I was still so dependent on navigation tools – this was before GPS appeared in our cars. I missed just getting in my car and knowing how to drive where I was going. It didn’t help that the “locals” here give directions that include statements like “drive about a mile and take a right at the big pine tree.” Do you have any idea how may “big pine trees” line the roads of Massachusetts?
It’s also important to find a rhythm of exploring new ideas so that one isn’t running all of the time. I frequently overestimate what I can accomplish, but once I realize that I’m overdoing it, I am able to enter a pattern where I’m somewhat more realistic. Finding the right balance of noticing and responding to new stimuli comes with practice, trial and error, and ongoing learning. I’m learning to accept that ongoing learning is just part of the human experience.
Some days I think we have become quite lazy as a country. We have many pleasures available to us that allow us to just shut down and be entertained. Yes, it’s good to be able to have some ways to relax, but I fear that we have relaxed to a point where we are becoming “trapped in amber.” I think we as citizens as well as our political leaders have to start talking about both our public and personal responsibilities to continue to grow and learn. We have to figure out ways to help people who are living in more isolated areas find ways to experience some of the “newness” and “energy “ that comes more easily to those living in urban areas. Certainly the Internet can provide opportunities if used wisely….I just recently signed up for a symposium running in Canada that will run for a couple of evening hours over ten days. The sessions are also available to download on a cell phone so that they can be viewed at one’s convenience.
I hope to write more about this topic in future Blogs, as I think finding ways to support and engage in learning throughout our lives is a key factor in helping all of us continuously adjust and prepare for the changes that automation is bringing to our lives. In the meantime, think about your own “flyover” experiences in which you had an “AHA” moment as you looked back at an experience in your life. And, I encourage each of us to set our own warning signs that flash when we realize we are in a “going-nowhere” conversation. One of my pet peeves is listening to someone spend twenty minutes telling me what they and everyone else they were with had for lunch!
