"Technology has made it easier than ever to fracture attention into smaller and smaller bits." - TIME magazine
I recently read an article in TIME magazine and wanted to share some of the author's research and experience here because I find the impact of the digital revolution astounding.
Are you guilty of:
-answering a colleagues question or email from the stands at your child's soccer game?
-paying bills while watching tv?
-ordering groceries while stuck in traffic?
-being hyper connected...having a personal phone, work phone, laptop and iPad, and rarely let an hour pass without looking at a screen?
-having that heart-stopping feeling of fright when you leave the house without your phone?
Isn’t it amazing how quickly we’ve become attached to our devices? They’ve become more than an accessory...they’ve become part of our clothes! Leaving the house without your phone feels like you're naked!
The author states, "In a time when no one seems to have enough time, our devices allow us to be in many places at once- but at the cost of being unable to fully inhabit the place where we actually want to be."
I have a hard time becoming "more aware of the present moment and less caught up in what happened earlier or what's to come." It fascinates me that the world moves this fast, when only a few years ago, things just weren't this way.
I've noticed a big shift in myself with being "too connected." I often check my phone when I arrive at a stop light, or when I'm watching tv or making dinner, and I always check my emails- work or personal- throughout the entire day.
I notice the impact of the digital revolution on my sixth grade students too. Most of my students have iPhones and utilize apps, like Instagram. I often wonder: Are they developmentally and socially ready for the constant and immediate connection? Do they fully understand their digital footprint? Their technological abilities are very high, but their judgement and maturity is worrisome.
The TIME magazine article is about "The Mindful Revolution: The Art of Being Mindful." I was immediately drawn to it because a colleague at my school is a trained mindfulness expert. She conducted a session at one of our faculty meetings and teaches a class once a week after school to any interested staff in the district. I've always thought of attending, but haven't yet. After reading the article, I'm eager to give it a shot! I'll keep you updated!
The mindfulness philosophy "intends to help practitioners quiet a busy mind and help become more aware of the present moment." Have you heard about mindfulness? Do you practice it? Leave a comment and fill me in! Please share your thoughts on the digital revolution, too!
No comments:
Post a Comment