Technology as Accelerated Mortality

Laozi warned against complex tools that distance us from natural rhythms. Modern technology—notifications, streams, algorithms—accelerates temporal consumption while creating illusion of endless time. We feel busy yet unmoored from purpose. Memento mori in the technological age means recognizing that digital tools designed to 'save time' often obscure time's passing. You accumulate years of screen time but no corresponding growth. The Taoist approach isn't Luddite rejection but mindful alignment: use technology as instrument, not master. Memento mori becomes radical: do these apps honor my finite existence or hollow it? Each notification is a small death of attention to what matters. By consciously resisting technological fragmentation and returning to sustained presence, you reclaim agency over your irreplaceable hours. The greatest tool use isn't adopting more tech but strategically abandoning it to remember mortality—to feel time's actual passage rather than digitally transcend it.