It has been said that the best gift you can give someone is your attention. I believe this to be true. As someone who likes to contemplate, I’ve begun to realize just how much I’ve missed the mark by falling in and out of my own thoughts and the hubbub of the world around.
From what I’ve read, human brains are like lava lamps, producing squishy jellyfish-like thoughts every second or two. What do we have to go with the chicken for dinner? What gift should I buy my mom for her birthday? What color should I paint the living room, and so on.
In Johann Hari’s Guardian article[1] he shares a story from the introduction to his latest book, Stolen Focus. Why You Can’t Pay Attention – and How to Think Deeply Again.[2] The author espouses that human attention is diminishing because of the ever-increasing demands of technology. So, when the author takes his godson to Graceland on a trip under the stipulation that he doesn’t bring his phone and then finds him on Snapchat, there is a poignant moment where the Godson acknowledges there is a problem, then goes right back to texting.
This sounds more like the definition of insanity.
In my home I bought a small wooden box engraved with quippy sayings like, “Talking is the new texting,” “High-Speed connecting, no Wifi required.” Everyone was supposed to put their phone in there during dinner, but mostly I’m just happy if the phone is in the pocket during dinner.
Technology can be likened to other forms of addiction, with all of the same seductive powers and equally damaging side-affects that can destroy a precious commodity: our minds.
In Hari’s book, Professor Earl Miller from MIT referred to the effect of task-switching as “a perfect storm of cognitive degradation.” We know attention spans are shortening across the board thanks to the 24-hour news cycle and there is a plethora of digital channels to splinter our attention. PhD Amishi Jha wrote a book called Peak Mind[3] where she shares the benefits of meditation on strengthening our attention. She prescribes twelve minutes of meditation a day, running extensive research on its long-term benefits for strengthening focus and improving receptivity. Using the metaphors of a flashlight for finding focus and birds for improving receptivity, the author describes the changes that take place in the brain after several weeks of regular meditative practice.
I love the section in the article where Hari slows down and gets a better sense for how he is feeling, describing a “gurgling inside,” which he realizes is a sense of calm.
Finding places and spaces to decompress is critical and I very much relate to Hari’s description of his time at the Cape. So many writers and artists find inspiration in nature. For me, I have found that everything opens up when I’m in a natural habitat, including my ability to think more expansively. Providing I can put down my phone for long enough.
[1] Hari, Johann, Your attention didn’t collapse. It was stolen. The Guardian.
[2] Hari, Johann, Stolen Focus. Why You Can’t Pay Attention – and How to Think Deeply Again, 2023 Crown Trade Paperback.
[3] Jha, Amishi P. PhD, Peak Mind, Find Your Focus, Own Your Attention, Invest 12 Minutes A Day, 2021
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