I have 4,372 unread emails. That’s not a statistic; that’s a crime scene. You scroll through them like a detective looking for clues among newsletters about “5 Ways to Be a Morning Person.” I am a morning person—a morning person who hates reading about it.
We’ve also invented the perfect tool for feeling inadequate: social media. You see a friend’s vacation photo—they’re on a beach, smiling like a toothpaste ad. Meanwhile, you’re sitting in your kitchen in pyjamas, eating cereal at 9pm. “Good for them,” you mutter, while secretly wondering if they’ve also killed a houseplant this month.
BBC One - Only Fools and Horses, If They Could See Us Now, Rodney and
Only a fool would compare their behind-the-scenes to someone else’s highlight reel. But we all do it. It’s the sport of the 21st century, and nobody wins. Except the houseplant that survives out of spite.
The Small Wins Keep Us Sane
But here’s the funny thing: we’re not all fools. We’re just navigating a world that changes faster than our patience. You fix the Wi-Fi by turning it off and on again? That’s a victory. You remember your password without the “forgot password” button? You’re a god among mortals.
I saw a guy at the grocery store last week—he was laughing at his phone. Not a chuckle, but a full, loud, unselfconscious laugh. People stared. He didn’t care. He was probably watching a video of a cat falling off a chair, and for a moment, the world made perfect sense. That’s the antidote.
So if the ghosts of our former selves could see us now—arguing with robots, paying for bottled water, and taking selfies with our lunch—they’d either weep or laugh. I vote for laughter. Because honestly, we’re all just kids in grown-up bodies, fumbling with gadgets we don’t fully understand. And if that makes us fools, then pass me the remote—I need to turn up the volume on this ridiculous, wonderful, weird life.
