Dare to Do: Step Out of the Strobe Light

Nothing says “party time” quite like a strobe light. A staple of dance halls and cosmic bowling alleys, the strobe casts a magical spell on anyone who enters its field of glory. The strobe can give you whiter teeth, a more vacant mind, and downright formidable dance moves. The strobe can make that guy whose elbow bends backwards the most popular guy in the room.

Sure, life under the strobe is grand...for about five minutes. Then you realize that all you're consuming are refracted parts of a whole. It’s all stimulation and no satisfaction—no constancy from one moment to the next; nothing but darkness and disorientation between each fleeting high. The party is one big illusion, but your needs are as real as ever.

Your head starts to spin. Your mouth runs dry. You ask for some water. “WHAT? I CAN'T HEAR YOU!" comes the cheerfully indifferent response. You try to mime a gesture of pouring and drinking, but your efforts are mistaken for one more wacky dance move. The strobe doesn’t lend itself to a cohesive plan or a forward motion. The strobe just makes it more entertaining to stay stuck.

We’re often tempted to fill our free time with mindless distractions—with easy living that doesn’t actually replenish our reserves. A hard day’s work and a hard day's night can reward in equal measure, but only when we also engage in meaningful forms of repose. We all must eventually step off of the dance floor, and when we do, harsh fluorescents needn’t be our only other option. There is room in between for the soft glow of a desk lamp and the raw simplicity of natural light—for skill building and thoughtful reflection in addition to parties and reality TV.

Go ahead, revel in the blithe pulse of the strobe light. Just don’t get lost in a stream of haphazard motion without a beginning or an end. We ought to give our downtime the same thought we give our careers—to ensure that we are rebuilding the other parts of ourselves that require care. Breaks filled with all play and no push can be tempting, but in practice, a nonstop party reads more like a nightmare than a dream. When you blind yourself to other ways of recharging, you’re more likely than ever to extinguish your own glow.

—Emma Aubry Roberts