This is a tale of two men. One of whom uses the internet extensively, and another who uses it almost never.
The first man kept up with the latest news. He kept his finger on the pulse of current trends. He knew what was cool and what was not. And he knew the details of the lives of celebrities.
The second man had no idea what was in the news. He had no idea what the current trends were. And in the midst of his day to day routines, he forgot that he didn’t know.
The first man, hearing online that women found dad-bods attractive, stayed out of the gym. Later, he hearing online that women found ripped bodies attractive, furiously started lifting weights.
The second man exercised in a way that made his body look good when he looked in the mirror, and made him feel good throughout the day.
The first man read online that women only like the top 10% of men on dating apps. He read online that women only liked men who were over 6 ft tall and had a 6 figure income. Being or having none of these things, he carried a sense of helplessness and low self-esteem around women, further repelling them away from him.
The second man, upon seeing a woman he liked, simply approached her and started a conversation.
The first man watched endless hours of pornographic content online. He had deep interests in a large number of exotic and strange fetishes. And he dreamed of one day recreating these extreme and obscure fetishes in reality with a beautiful girl with a pretty face, perfect breasts and a nice curvy ass. He pleasured himself late into the night watching porn, fantasising, imagining and wishing.
The second man explored sex multiple times a week with his partner.
The first man heard about the vegan diet online. Then he heard about the paelo diet. He did research, read the latest scientific papers, read ebooks, listened to podcasts and took a long list of supplements. He spent years trying to understand the science of nutrition and achieve the perfect diet.
The second man tried eating different kinds of foods and paid close attention to his body and his mind. After three months of trying different selections of food, he found a diet that made his body and brain feel good.
The first man would carefully craft comments online; critiquing the works of others and delighting in the likes his comments received from other users.
The second man spent his time creating content and art that he truly believed in.
The first man was filled with knowledge. He talked fast and talked a lot, his mouth rattling off facts, news and gossip to those he met, as his hands gestured wildly to match his rapid speech. He knew something about everything; his knowledge spread wide and thin.
The second man spoke slowly, deliberately and with purpose. The second man, despite not having much to talk about over a glass of wine, carried a presence with him that was felt by everybody in the room. A presence that often intimidated the men he encountered, while intriguing the women.
The first man felt his neck stick out and his shoulders round forward; his body adapting permanently to the posture he held while using his laptop and phone.
The second man stood straight up and his shoulders naturally fell backwards; his posture being something that never crossed his mind.
The first man carried a constant nagging fear that he was missing something; that there was some piece of information he didn’t yet have that would finally fill in the missing puzzle piece of his life.
The second man carried an aura that his own life puzzle had been complete since long ago.
The first man felt resentful as he came to the end of his youth; feeling as though his life had passed quickly — his achievements few and far between.
The second man proudly moved on from his youth, satisfied that it was finally over and ready to move on to the next stage of his life.
