Distractions come in all forms. Seems in today’s day and age, there are more distractions available to us than ever before throughout history. With technology ever-expanding there always seems to be something close at hand that can be used as a “quick fix” to take care of our need to be distracted from the discomforts of reality: computers, smart phones, televisions, video gaming systems and more with all of their high-tech applications, features and abilities. I’m not referring to the more major discomforts that we sometimes experience in life, but rather, the otherwise normal and in-between moments throughout our days that we have come to refer to as boredom; which produces mild discomfort, at best.
In those moments, when we intentionally (and evermore, subconsciously) find ways to distract ourselves from reality, what we are really doing is robbing ourselves of the most precious thing in life: time. We willfully exchange our valuable time for trivial distractions, and we’ve done it so much and for so long that these repetitive distractions have become involuntary habits in which we actually look forward to participating. How many times have you scrolled Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or any other form of social media, to only minutes later, find yourself scrolling them again? The process can become mindless…and quite addictive.
Habitual distractions from reality are not limited to technology alone – technological distractions are somewhat new in the grand scheme of things and are highly convenient and many are socially accepted; the extent of their addictive ramifications, however, are continually being discovered. The old staple distractions and addictions also remain alive and well (i.e. sex, drugs, alcohol, gambling, food etc.) and they continue robbing individuals of their treasured time and even their health. With technology making things easier to access and more readily available (online gambling, hookup sites, porn sites and more) some of these addictions have grown exponentially.
Point being, when we are actively participating in such distractions, we are not actively participating in our lives; at least, not in the most productive or healthiest of ways.
When I was a young boy and I would say to my father, “I’m bored.” He would reply, “Enjoy it. Someday you’ll wish you could be bored,” or, “In boredom, there’s wisdom.” It never really dawned on me what he meant until, of course, I was older and life became so busy, demanding and stressful, that I indeed wished for boredom and to have the time to do absolutely nothing. In those moments of nothingness we can allow ourselves the time and ability to actually think deep thoughts; to plan out and solve difficult tasks; to imagine things as we did in our childhood; to dream big as only we can; to work on or learn something new, and so much more. But, enter the discovery of unhealthy vices along with the advances in technology and spending time doing nothing quickly turned into time spent doing something distracting.
The distraction trap can be a dangerous one. Often times, the distraction seems innocent enough and it only takes up a small amount of time, so we decide to give it a try. We get just enough of its taste that it’s not long before we go back for more. Eventually, after enough tastes, the hook is set and we don’t even realize we’re hooked. We, subconsciously, want that distraction “fix” more than we want our own time, or even time with others. Ever see people sitting together at a restaurant and they’re all glaring down at their own cell phones and not doing much in the way of talking with each other? If they’re like that out in public, they’re like that in their homes as well, I assure you.
Unfortunately, as a byproduct of our addiction with technology, we also spend much of our time and energy distracted by the various two-sided issues being spoon-fed to us by the media (as if there are always only two sides). In my day-to-day activities, I am able to interact with people of all walks of life and rarely ever have a disagreement or altercation. I turn on one of my technology distractors and all of the sudden the entire world appears to be coming apart at the seams over any given number of hot-button issues that (are constructed to) have only two sides to choose from. This is a very dangerous distraction trap that, unfortunately, most people repeatedly fall for and on which they spend copious amounts of their time and energy; draining themselves for no real purpose.
Another distraction trap to be aware of (but much more difficult to avoid) is how we go about earning a living. Hopefully, you’re one of the lucky ones who is working a job and making a living doing exactly what you love – as the saying goes, if you love what you do you’ll never work a day in your life. But, the overwhelming majority of employees worldwide (87% to be exact) do not care much at all about their work. The workplace serves as more of a source of frustration than fulfillment for the greater part of the world’s workers. This means that many are simply existing in a job and going through the motions in order to receive an income. I had a friend once tell me that his job is a stumbling-block between him and his paycheck. It’s a funny statement, but, unfortunately, it’s dreadfully true for most. I guess this could be considered a necessary distraction; a distraction as a means for income – which people need to survive. But people who aren’t satisfied at their work are not as productive as those who are and, therefore, are more distracted while already working at a distraction. It can also prove to be hazardous to your health as there is a marked increase in sudden cardiac arrests (heart attacks) on Mondays.
There are numerous distractions – way too many to list. We are all guilty of succumbing to our own preferred distractions – probably more often than we’d like to admit. One way to self-diagnose if you might be overdoing it is to ask the question, “Are you in control of your distractions or are your distractions in control of you?” Everyone has to answer that question, honestly, for themselves and then make whatever changes necessary to find their way back to reality and to make the most of their time…their life. We only get the one life (that we know of) so don’t waste it by giving the majority of it up to meaningless and unfulfilling distractions.
Don’t get me wrong, technology can be great and it definitely has found a place in our lives, but it is unnatural; it is manmade. We need to make time to reconnect with nature. Turn off all of the noise and the constant barrage of online, radio and television news, media, opinions and ads. Be quiet and still and listen to yourself for a change – the real you. The you that you may have lost contact with. What wisdom will you be able to find in the midst of your boredom? It’s not an easy thing to do, but I believe it’s highly important.
At least, that’s my opinion.
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