So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye!

I leave and heave a sigh and say goodbye to Social Media.

Exploring the intersection of life and literature to answer the questions how do the books we read influence our lives and how do our life experiences influence the books we choose.

There's a sad sort of clanging from the clock in the hall
And the bells in the steeple too
And up in the nursery an absurd little bird
Is popping out to say "cuckoo"
(Cuckoo)
(Cuckoo)

Regretfully they tell us (cuckoo)
But firmly they compel us (cuckoo)
To say goodbye (cuckoo)
To you

So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, good night
I hate to go and leave this pretty sight

So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, adieu
Adieu, adieu, to yieu and yieu and yieu

So long, farewell, au revoir, auf Wiedersehen
I'd like to stay and taste my first champagne

So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye
I leave and heave a sigh and say goodbye
Goodbye

I'm glad to go, I cannot tell a lie
I flit, I float, I fleetly flee, I fly

The sun has gone to bed and so must I
So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye
Goodbye
Goodbye
Goodbye
Goodbye

von Trapp children in The Sound of Music

Oscar Hammerstein’s famous song from The Sound of Music is familiar to my ears. This is Mom’s favorite movie of all time and as children we watched it nearly every year. I still enjoy seeing it when I can. This beautiful film is an adaptation of a stage musical composed by Richard Rogers which was itself based on the book The Story of the Trapp Family Singers by Maria von Trapp.

For those who haven’t seen the film or read the book, the story follows Maria, a young governess to the seven children of Captain Georg von Trapp, who has been raising the children on his own following the death of his wife. Many adventures ensue with Maria and the Captain eventually marrying. Life is wonderful and glorious until Hitler’s Third Reich annexes Austria and the family must flee to Switzerland where they find freedom.

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“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.” ― Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

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After nearly 20 years of having some sort of social media, I deleted all my accounts at the end of December. This was not a rash or easy decision but a necessary one. Much like Maria fell in love with the von Trapp family, I fell in love with social media from the very beginning. For years it was a wonderful experience, until it wasn’t. Recently it felt like a place I needed to flee. While there are positives to social media, the negatives outweighed anything I gained. And so the time had come for me to find my own freedom.

This is a very personal decision and no judgement is implied on those who enjoy social media. It works for many people, especially those who have their businesses built around it. I believe that each of us must make decisions about what is best for our unique circumstances. My decision to leave was based on a number of factors which some of you may find relatable.

• The majority of the interactions I experienced on social media did not feel genuine. I observed most people tending to post “perfect” pictures or snapshots of a moment in time in their lives, frequently staged. This gives a false impression of perfection and creates expectations and social anxiety. Even when we know that no one’s life is that good we feel compelled to try and compete with what we see in others.

• Despite my frustrations with social media, at times I couldn’t seem to avoid it. As Paul so eloquently put it in his letter to the Romans, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” Even though I didn’t want to be on social media, I felt pressured by the constant notifications on the phone that I had to respond or “like” everything that someone posts.

• My personal opinion is there are too many keyboard warriors, individuals who are online primarily with the purpose of creating hate and discontent. While this is spread across all of the internet (including here on Substack unfortunately), social media is a festering breeding ground for those who want to troll others or spout vitriol from the safety and protection of their anonymity behind the keyboard. I am not interested in engaging with that type of behavior.

• My personality functions better at slower speeds. I am looking for ways to slow down, invest quality time in my activities, and, when I am online, I want my time to be spent learning, growing as an individual, or investing in relationships rather than 30 second sound bites.

• Most importantly was how I spend my time. I love to read and write so would prefer to invest in those hobbies rather than doom scrolling on social media. I want to be more attentive to my family which is difficult when your phone is constantly vying for your attention. I have hopes of getting more time for physical fitness this year as well.

I believe that here at

Substack

, I have found an online home. This platform provides me with the necessary online social interaction that I desire without most of the negatives of social media. It is also a much healthier environment, with meaningful discourse between writers and readers. I enjoy interacting with my readers and so far every one of those interactions has been positive. I am excited about continuing to write here, read what others are writing, and continue learning along the way. Without the constant social media barrage, perhaps I will have the opportunity to focus more on a few of my favorite things.

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things

Cream-colored ponies and crisp apple strudels
Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
These are a few of my favorite things

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver-white winters that melt into springs
These are a few of my favorite things

When the dog bites
When the bee stings
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don't feel so bad

Another Hammerstein classic to highlight that, without social media, I will be able to focus on more of my favorite things. So what does that look like?

Family Vacation!

This year we plan to take a trip to Europe following my retirement from the Navy. Everyone is excited to see London, Paris, Rome, Madrid, and whatever other locales we can discover. It should be quite a good time.

Lola and I in our happy place!

I also hope to do quite a bit of reading and writing this year. I do have some ambitious goals and with everything we have going on I need all the time I can get so removing distractions is an important aspect of my 2024 life plan!

I will leave you with my reading syllabus for this year. The priority is my Steinbeck project, followed by An Encounter with Ulysses. After that are the read-alongs for War & Peace and the Mantel novels. The rest I will fill in as I have time.

2024 Reading Plan

What things are you making time for in 2024?

Until next time…

p.s. If you are wondering what musical lyrics have to do with literature, just ask Bob Dylan. In 2016 he became the first musician to win the Nobel Prize in Literature for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.

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This past week I enjoyed reading:

• J.E. Petersen
  provides an insightful article about digital addictions and his method for freeing himself that he calls The Notebook Rule.

• Elle Griffin
  wrote an intriguing article about seeking curiosity across a broad spectrum of interests in Bring back the “Renaissance Man”

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