Technology As a Distraction
“An addiction to distraction is the death of creative production.”
For the past year or so I have had a change in my morning routine. Rather than instantly grabbing my phone to see what’s some into my inbox, I immediately go outside with my journal and my beloved dog, Frankie. I spend time writing and then listening to the sights and sounds of the nature surrounding me. The calls and chirps of the birds, the sight of my bees bearding their hives, and watching Frankie chase butterflies or romp in the deep snow sets up my day in a way that coffee never could.
I treasure this time more than any other in the day. It allows me the time to listen to my internal voice, divine my creative inspirations or just ponder a solution before being barraged by the din of the external world. The chore of getting back on the electronic hamster wheel (cell phone, email, text, tv, iPad, computer, etc) first thing amplifies my love/hate relationship with this technology. Admittedly, I do love the ability to get a quick answer to a client or find just the right picture to make a friend laugh. But I do hate the amount of space this takes up in my life and how many wonderful conversations have been high jacked by the Pavlovian buzz or ding (followed by the quick glance) of a companions phone. And how many times have we seen a mother choosing to focus on her phone screen and ignoring a child desperately trying to get her attention? While we may think we are multi-tasking, we’re just being further fractured in our ability to focus and be present. We’re lulled into believing we are connecting with life and out fellow human beings, when in reality, we are being unwittingly overtaken by mere distraction.
In addition to starting the day with my journal and Frankie, I read a couple of chapters in a book called Learning to Live, by Madison Taylor, co-founder and editor in chief of the inspirational website DailyOM.com. She has a wonderful writing style and I find the subjects she addresses in each short chapter seem to be exactly what I needed to hear. Today, as I was feeling the unnerving pull of un-answered texts and emails, I came upon the following chapter. It is so well written that I’m going to quote from it instead of paraphrase:
“Each of us has the ability to consciously choose to be more present in our lives. We can decide at any time to leave our gadgets behind and become aware of the sights and sounds around us in order to expand our awareness and be fully present in our bodies and surroundings.
When we exercise discernment about how we invest our personal energy, we can be sure that we choose only the best for ourselves and those we love. Our gadgets can be useful tools for our journeys in the material world, but we must not forget that we are spiritual beings having a human experience, and that means interacting with people on a personal level. Choices that enliven us and help us feel connected to our world and our loved ones always deserve our full attention and presence of mind body and spirit.”
As we start to enter into the holiday seasons of gathering, we may find others, or ourselves, sitting at the table giving more time to phone screens than table conversations. If we’re checked out, perhaps we need to ask why the world outside seems so much more filling than the one we’ve created for ourselves. It’s a good time to think about whether we are fully participating in human communion, or merely phoning in.
