pat loughery

A Culture of Availability to Everybody But Yourself?

Trent Gilliss, Online Editor

Perhaps this TEDtalk gets at the heart of the matter. In the second half of our upcoming show with Jon Kabat-Zinn (first available in podcast on Thursday morning), he argues, to some degree, that the accelerated pace of technology and its significance in our lives doesn’t allow us to be mindful, to live in the present. All this communication and digital connectedness actually creates an inner dissonance — a disconnectedness with our own selves.

One memorable moment in Krista’s interview: Kabat-Zinn describes a person viewing a sunset. Instead of simply taking it in, he says, we either are thinking about how we might write about it (or perhaps tweet or blog it), or, that certain somebody standing next to you actually has to gab away and tell you how gorgeous it is — which completely removes you from the moment of recognition and contemplation. In other words, we have this compulsion to do something with the moment in order to make it meaningful. We are not being mindful.

via SOF Observed – A Culture of Availability to Everybody But….

 

Trent of the Speaking of Faith podcast (which is my single favorite podcast these days) previews an upcoming topic above.  In doing so, he hits me right between the eyes.  I’ve found myself doing this a lot -processing an event by trying to figure out how I’ll report it or photograph it, rather than simply being present.  

For us these days, does meaning only have to do with sharing our experiences with others?  Or can we allow ourselves to have those internal moments that only have meaning to ourselves?

(he asks, on his blog, aware of the irony)