Selective Participation (SP) is where one consciously removes his/her own self from society, technology, rules, policies, a sorrowful life muted by trappings of a false promise, and then chooses to participate back into society, technology, rules, policies, etc. whenever, however, and for as short or as long as one deems suitable at that appropriate moment in time. Of course, this term and definition may or may not be defined elsewhere but for purposes of my own mind, I have come to this term as a fitting one for what I shall describe below.

1. SP –> E-mail and Technology

Nearly everyone save your pet dog has an e-mail account now. Your 4-year-old nephew has one. Your 87-year-old grandmother has one. And you? You not only just have one, but you have many.

Before I go further, read this post for a thorough explanation on how to stop answering e-mail and start having a life.

I am not a mindless slave to my inbox. In fact, I downright dislike it many times. I oftentimes traipse the world purposefully with no means of me contacting the world back home. This, at times, means no phone, no address, and certainly, no e-mail. Let me explain, lest you believe I am a strong opponent of technology.

Modern man, though fully believing the world has evolved into an incredible behemoth of beautiful and efficient technological advancement, has neglected to realize that by creating such tools and objects and digital freedom devices, is actually becoming his creation’s own prisoner.

Tuk tuk drivers in the dusty, brown, dirt road of impoverished Cambodia text, surf the Web, and chat into their devices while waiting for their next customer.

In Tibet’s serene yet perilous mountains, where large and looming yaks are as common as pigeons are practically everywhere in the world, even in the small mud hut that is their home, Tibetans prominently display a large TV screen, as one would display a tasteful piece of artwork in one’s home. Never mind there is no such thing as running water or a working toilet; alas, a TV is there!

Modernization is not sedentarism. It is not a fixated, unblinking gaze into the digital depths of the vast Internet sea. It is a form of communication, much like how ink on paper used to be.

Everyone talks about digital evolution and though I’m not an adversary of it, I’m also not a 100% die-hard fan of it. It’s a double-edged sword as I completely understand without technology, I would not have been able to create this blog, self-publish 2 eBooks and automate all my transactions and personal accounts.

What I fervently oppose, however, is when others expect pointed and prompt answers from me when they’ve not even bothered trying to answer the questions themselves. This is when folks e-mail me with asanine questions, ramblings and prejudiced judgments, and they wonder why they never receive a response. I am not their wooden puppet for them to play with and then toss away when not needed. If you find yourself in a similar situation, do yourself a favor by marking sender as spam. No hard feelings here. I have a heart but I’m also not a stone-cold robot who doesn’t, from time to time, become inflicted with shards of cutting comments and incoming bullets of hatred. SP is key here. One must protect oneself if one is to ever go beyond this external conflict to tap into your own inner strength resevoirs.

I battle with my own desires and urges of modern mankind, just like many of you. I have times where I want to look ‘cool,’ ‘hip,’ and ‘trendy.’ And at these times, I realize just how fickle man can be. What happens next is whether or not I actually succumb to such external temptations and inner battles.

Some will promote the ‘enjoy the fruit of your labor and live a little’ philosophy. Still others will brush it off as a non-issue and say, “So what? It’s just an iPhone. Everyone has one these days.”

But what I ask myself and search deep within for answers is this: Why? And for what purpose?

If no one owned a fax machine, fax machines would’ve never made it big back in the 1980s. Only by sheer quantity of fax machine users did this device legitimize itself into society and business. If no one owned a phone, a phone would serve no purpose and would be considered completely useless. Only in society’s mass numbers of consumers using any given device, digital tool, social media, and the like, does this render such technology as not only useful but a seemingly prominent foothold in the daily lives of millions across the world.

I am the first to say this does not mean I will never own any form of technology, phone, laptop, etc. I do have a Mac (used frequently, except for now, which I’ve left back in Taipei as I travel SE Asia), a simple phone with a Taiwan SIM card in it (used solely for convenience and emergencies) and a digital camera. But it’s when I hear the call of peer pressure and media beckoning me to shell out many dollars to fund a supposed cause that is missing in my life solely based upon fashion and trend that I cringe and go within.

Away into the world I tread; it is me who I am. Not anything I own or anyone else I should try to please.

2. SP –> Society and Money

For all the wonders, love, happiness and joy that befalls the beauty of human relationships, it is also the severe destruction, murder of not just the physical body but of one’s mind and spirit, anger, rage, revenge and bitter entrapments of society as far as our recorded history dates back.

Just because we are born into a particular society (and I use the word society loosely, as it can be identified by thousands of sub-groups, including, but not limited to, nationality, ethnicity, race, religion, profession, political views, dog-cat lovers/haters, devout and unfailingly loyal fans of XYZ band, etc.) does not mean we must always remain in it.

We unflinchingly dare not question the almighty Society, for Society gave us so much … right?

One can say one has been given so many opportunities because they were born into a certain family, has certain natural talents, has the freedom to speak whatever is on one’s mind, has a chance to attain a college education, and the list continues.

But most, if not all, of these so-called opportunities are external validations in the eyes of those who do not ever fully know and understand you. This is when you can, and must, utilize SP to the utmost, for fear of your own peril at the hands of those who promise to hold and protect you.

I extricate myself from society often, and though it may not seem like it, especially when you read new posts here and see Twitter updates there, let it be known: my life is my own; what I do should be of no more concern to you than you are to me. How often I write is up to me alone to decide. Given the truth that I love writing as much as I love to breathe, this is the only reason why you are able to read such words now.

When one is born into a society which shelters them far too much for one’s own good, disables their very own creativity by claiming falsely that any art or ‘crazy shit’ produced is not for them and needs to be tuned down, is force-fed into institutions that teach young academics how to do well on exams and state tests through rigorous rote memorization just so one can then be told exactly what to do, how to do it, when to do it, and why one has to do it at a job they’ve come to hate, it is no wonder the tragic and inevitable predicament that has been the harsh seal of fate for many individuals has been the rampant disease which so many do not know what the cure is, if any.

But the cure is available and it is not far from your own grasp. It is within you.

The moment you utter failing thoughts that all you need to make by in life is to hit it big, win the lottery, or merely get out of a stifling debt you put yourself in, is the moment you have already failed. It is not me or anyone else you need to seek the approval of.

What you should be more concerned with is you have failed yourself and try as you might, you cannot run away from your own being.

Money, though it can help in so many ways, such as disaster relief, hunger, cancer research, safe houses for victims of human trafficking, the eroding environment, and millions of other causes, is not the end-all-be-all solution to solve the world’s woes. And it is certainly not the only answer to solve your own miseries and laments.

A bottle of Jack Daniel’s is neither your friend nor your enemy. You use it, by drinking it, and it becomes your friend or enemy by how you use it. Likewise with money.

SP, when it comes to money, is not about not paying for groceries at the store, with security guards chasing you down in the parking lot as you scream, “I’m selectively NOT paying for this!”

It is about truly understanding that you needn’t have to buy your happiness, ever. Happiness does not lie in a 10-day Caribbean cruise, a new townhome, sexy and sleek eyewear, or a round-the-world ticket.

Happiness is all around you, in sources that are apart from things you have to buy.

Yes, I bought a plane ticket from Taipei to Bangkok so I can land-travel my way throughout SE Asia. But merely buying a seat on a plane does not guarantee I will have the most amazing adventure ever. It is by the faculty of opening up everything about me and leaving everything behind that I can honestly say if I died tomorrow, I would have died doing exactly what I wanted to be doing. Not many people can say that and I do not say it to make you feel bad. I say it because you need to know that this–this happiness–can be yours.

The traveler I met when I first landed in Bangkok and whom I’ve ended up traveling with for the past 2 months asked me a question recently: On a scale of 0-100%, 100% being the most happy you can ever be in your entire life, 0% being you want to kill yourself, how happy are you?

Answer? Probably a 91%, though, of course, happiness is not a truly measurable thing, though some studies will purport that it is. The remaining 9%? During the times my heart plummets as I see our fellow man kill each other, die in vain, die needlessly for some stupid cause, be raped, abused, tortured, and other heart-wrenching tragedies, that is when I seriously feel the penetrating woes of our brittle humanity.

Listen. It’s not about me in the end, you see, when things like this happens. As if my suffering is the main focus here, as if it’s even comparable at all.

No.

It is others’ suffering, especially when something could be done about it, that proves to be the final stab that kills.

**

Selective Participation is a complex topic. In truth, humanity as a whole is a supremely complex topic, one that will be investigated, researched, questioned, and many times, seemingly answered. We may never understand humanity but one thing’s for sure: We are fascinated to no end about it.

Selectively participate in causes that mean the world to you, and I do mean that literally. Choose wisely who your companions are. Choose what you do with your short life lived on Earth, for what greater tragedy will there be than a life unlived? Choose how you spend your time, your money, your resources. Read constantly, but remember that SP also applies to what you read.

This is your homework. Read and re-read the following books as it will sufficiently blow your mind to proportions you have never known. But don’t blast through it, as if you’re racing an imaginary reading foe to see who can finish first. Seriously self-reflect upon these literary works.

Walden by Henry David Thoreau
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
Vagabonding by Rolf Potts
The Art of Living by Epictetus
Tao Teh Ching by Lao Tzu
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury [fiction]
On the Road by Jack Kerouac [fiction]
1984 by George Orwell [fiction]

A beautiful and freeing life awaits you as you selectively participate in endeavors which are your heart’s cause.

Don’t let it wait any longer.