So well said! I think the fracturing of our attention is one of the most distinct challenges of life in the modern world. The battle to reclaim our attention is a difficult but absolutely necessary one. These days, I am doing my best to limit the noise so I can make space for silence, thinking, and prayer. (Ironically, when I'm working on an essay, I find I have to create "empty space" in my day to think about the piece—i.e. a walk without listening to anything. No wonder Christopher Nolan doesn't have a smartphone.)
Your last line in particular brought to mind a line from Eliot's Four Quartets: "There is only the fight to recover what has been lost / And found and lost again and again: and now, under conditions / That seem unpropitious. But perhaps neither gain nor loss. / For us, there is only the trying. The rest is not our business."
I’m so impressed by people I know/meet who don’t have (or have never had) a smartphone or social media. I think I envy it? Maybe I just long for it. I haven’t convinced myself to give it up yet (the phone at least), but I do think the trying is worth it…
And love learning the Eliot quote - thanks for sharing!
Excellent piece, Ross. Beautiful writing, deep and important thoughts. Keep going.
Wow, thanks so much Jeff. I very much appreciate the encouragement.
So well said! I think the fracturing of our attention is one of the most distinct challenges of life in the modern world. The battle to reclaim our attention is a difficult but absolutely necessary one. These days, I am doing my best to limit the noise so I can make space for silence, thinking, and prayer. (Ironically, when I'm working on an essay, I find I have to create "empty space" in my day to think about the piece—i.e. a walk without listening to anything. No wonder Christopher Nolan doesn't have a smartphone.)
Your last line in particular brought to mind a line from Eliot's Four Quartets: "There is only the fight to recover what has been lost / And found and lost again and again: and now, under conditions / That seem unpropitious. But perhaps neither gain nor loss. / For us, there is only the trying. The rest is not our business."
I’m so impressed by people I know/meet who don’t have (or have never had) a smartphone or social media. I think I envy it? Maybe I just long for it. I haven’t convinced myself to give it up yet (the phone at least), but I do think the trying is worth it…
And love learning the Eliot quote - thanks for sharing!