“Clamor Grows for a Life Unplugged”
This is the title of an article in the NY Times by Pico Iyer. Some excerpts: “The more ways we have to connect, the more many of us seem desperate to unplug…..The average American spends at least 8 ½ hours a day in front of a screen.. The urgency of slowing down – to find the time and space to think – is nothing new and wiser souls have always reminded us…..‘Distraction is the only thing that consoles us in our miseries’, the French Philosopher Blaise Pascal wrote in the 17th century, ‘yet it is itself the greatest of our miseries’… ..Marshal McLuhan, who came closest than most to seeing what was coming, warned, ‘When things come at you very fast, naturally you lose touch with yourself’……A series of tests have shown..that after spending time in quiet rural settings, subjects ‘exhibit greater attentiveness, stronger memory and generally improved cognition. Their brains become both calmer and sharper’.”
What does all of this mean and why is it happening? This subject deserves a voluminous book, but here are a few bloggerisms to consider:
1. Information, news, “happenings” etc give us ever more data on which to base our decisions, but don’t necessarily lead to better qualitative decisions. In the end, “We” / “I” have to decide…have to take the plunge. Truth be told, there is now so much information available on the internet and elsewhere, we ignore most of it and “cherry pick” (remember Bush-Cheney?) the bits we like…which merely reinforces our original likes/dislikes and opinions. We aren’t nearly as logical and objective as we think, and consequently remain locked in our own patterns..which often clashes with the similarly locked-in patterns of others. The Dems/ Repubs in the USA are a classic example. This dynamic also shuts down the possibility of real, creative change even as its urgency grows.
2. In addition to not necessarily leading us to (or perhaps diverting us from) better decision-making, Technology and Science may be profoundly affecting us in ways not generally acknowledged…from ingestion of toxic foods and chemicals to behavioural changes that may be long-term impacting our brains and much more. Our present consumer society has no effective mechanism to vet the potential negative impact of new technology, so whatever can be marketed, is….often under the guise of “convenience”, “coolness”, “sexiness” etc. Technology is not an objective tool we use only when appropriate, but is designed to be interactive with us, shaping our behaviour and habits (for someone else’s $ profit) and often becoming addictive.
3. As an Insight Meditation (Vipassana) teacher, I have for years been warning about the effects Iyer describes in his insightful article, since these are diametrically opposed to most deeper meditative disciplines. 2500 years ago, the Buddha pointed out that we suffer because we become attached to things, people, ideas, which in fact are constantly changing and therefore insubstantial…slipping thru our fingers like sand. It should be noted that the “I”or “We” who is getting attached is also temporary and changing… the truth of which we can investigate, if we make the quiet space and time to skilfully (it helps to have a qualified teacher) look into ourselves. Being “plugged in” is shrinking our attention span through overstimulation and the turning of our attention ever more, not less, outward. Instead of making decisions from a deeper, more universal space, we now tend to regard as important what others think is important…”trending”, “going viral”, what our Twitter followers or Facebook friends suggest.
4. What can we do? Build pauses into our lives – many. Iyer makes another insightful comment, “More and more people I know seem to be turning to yoga, meditation or tai chi; these aren’t new age fads so much as ways to connect with what could be called the wisdom of old age”. My last comment: We don’t automatically become wiser as we get older, only if we from time to time to create the space to see the reality of Intercommection and Onesness..which comes from skillful meditation and self-inquiry.
For those of you who want to profoundly and creatively unplug, check out my mind-body Personal Mastery program at www.powerofbalance.com and retreats at www.harmonydawn.com. My next Meditation retreat is April 13-15