Voluntary disconnection: rediscovering the essentials by the water's edge

When everything becomes too fast

Sometimes, all it takes is observing a single day to understand how much our world has accelerated. Faces are rushed, gestures mechanical, minds saturated with alerts and numbers. Our lives are now measured in battery percentages, notifications, and ephemeral stories. And amidst this digital tumult, one question returns like a persistent ripple: when did we stop listening?

So, some of us are looking for something else. Silence, a breath, a break. And it is often by the water's edge that this quest finds its refuge.

Là où le bleu turquoise rencontre la terre nue, le monde semble suspendu. Aucun bruit, aucune urgence — seulement la beauté brute du silence. La déconnexion commence ici. Crédit photo : Christophe Courtois

The lake, that mirror of the soul

From the first light of dawn, when the mist dances on the surface and everything still seems asleep, the carp fisherman rediscovers a forgotten truth: that of calm. The digital world fades away. No more noise, no more urgency, no more screens. Only the whisper of the wind, the song of the birds, the murmur of the ripples against the bank.

Facing this liquid mirror, we rediscover ourselves. The lake's surface reflects more than just a landscape: it reflects the inner state of the observer. Thoughts calm, tensions dissolve, the heart slows. In this silence, the struggle ceases. We become present, alive, simple again.

The art of slowing down

Carp fishing may seem unspectacular to an observer. It's a succession of slow movements, silences, and moments of waiting. But for those experiencing it firsthand, every minute carries a rare intensity.

Planting the stakes, baiting, casting, observing… Each gesture becomes an almost sacred ritual. The body acts, but the mind calms. We are no longer focused on performance, we are in the present moment . That moment when we stop trying to control everything and simply welcome what nature offers.

That's what voluntary disconnection is: a choice. The choice to slow down when everything pushes us to go faster. The choice to listen to the wind rather than the threads of social media. The choice to be fully present, without a screen between oneself and the world.

Water, a memory of time

Libre et solitaire, cette carpe koï de rivière glisse entre les herbiers comme une pensée paisible. Elle incarne l’essence même de la déconnexion : la liberté dans le silence du monde vivant. Crédit photo : Christophe Courtois

Water holds within it the memory of the seasons. It has seen everything, passed through everything, without ever judging or holding back. The fisherman knows this: it is earned; it only reveals its secrets to those who know how to wait.

By confronting it, he learns patience, but also humility. For the carp, indifferent to our calculations and desires, always brings us back to the essential: nature is not tamed, it is understood. And this understanding comes through observation, respect, and slowness.

To find oneself through the vote count

Voluntary disconnection is not an escape. It's a return. A return to oneself, to who one truly is when everything else disappears. Comfort, noise, screens, social masks: none of that matters here. The water's edge strips us of what is superfluous.

In the simplicity of a bivouac, a hot coffee in the early morning, a mist that disappears on the surface of the lake, we rediscover forgotten emotions: gratitude, peace, presence.

Nature then becomes a silent compass. It teaches us without speaking. It shows us without demonstrating. It gently leads us back to what we had lost: the ability to exist fully, here and now.

The luxury of silence

Dans le silence nocturne, une simple grenouille rappelle que la vie, même la plus discrète, mérite d’être observée. La déconnexion commence souvent par ces rencontres inattendues avec le vivant. Crédit photo : Christophe Courtois

There is no greater luxury than silence. A silence that is inhabited, profound, alive. That suspended moment when the outside world ceases to exist and one feels the raw beauty of reality. Every ripple on the water, every ray of sunlight piercing the trees becomes a revelation. One then understands that peace is not a place to reach, but a state to rediscover. And that this peace cannot be bought. It is earned, at the price of a little solitude and a great deal of listening.

The authentic connection

Au fond du lac, le téléphone gît comme un symbole du monde moderne abandonné. À ses côtés, la carpe miroir poursuit sa danse intemporelle — rappel silencieux que la vraie connexion se trouve ici, dans le vivant. Visuel généré par IA

Ironically, in modern times, sometimes you have to disconnect to truly reconnect . Reconnect with the earth, with the light, with the cycles, with the truth of life. But also with yourself.

By the water's edge, there's no more lying. There are no filters, no artifice, no algorithms to sort our emotions. There is only the moment, and the sincerity with which we live it.

And that kind of sincerity, the digital world will never be able to reproduce.

Closing quote:

“Disconnecting from the world is sometimes the only way to reconnect with it differently—with the heart, the gaze, and silence.”— Christophe Courtois, Carp Collect'Or

And you ?

And you, when did you last choose to voluntarily disconnect , to simply listen to the water, the wind… and the discreet rhythm of your own life?