Apr 12 2007
Take A Trip – Let Your Mind Wander
Are we living in the Age of Distractions?
Wherever I go people seem to have the need to be distracted.
They are:
- Listening to music.
- On the phone.
- Reading.
- Online.
- Doing a crossword puzzle
- Playing Sodoku.
I rarely see anyone just…sitting there.
I rarely see anyone…doing nothing.
Is technology making us easily bored?
Have we become so used to being entertained that we can no longer entertain ourselves?
- I’m walking around the lake and I’ll see someone talking on the phone.
- I’ll watch someone arrive at an airport gate and if they see there’s a wait, they’ll dig out their iPod, book, laptop, or Blackberry.
- I know a couple of people who only call me if they’re waiting at the airport or driving somewhere.
It seems as if people aren’t used to being alone with their own thoughts.
How about you? Do you need to be distracted?
Do you need something to occupy your thoughts?
Instead of looking outside yourself, why not take a trip.
Let your mind wander.
Daydream.
You may end up some place interesting.
You may discover something…yourself.
I find myself to be one of those people who pulls out my Blackberry, Treo, or iPod to keep me distracted.
As for calling people while waiting on line or taking a walk, I do that too. Sometimes the only time I have to talk to folks is on the go. But I also like to text message more than hold phone conversations.
But what makes me wonder the most, “How soon will be lose our personalities into electronics and no longer have the skills to hold conversation offline, without electronics?”
It gets so bad that I speak to my co-workers via IM not phone or face to face (of course if you seen or been around most of them you wouldn’t want to be in their presence, some smell funny).
Urban Thought: Your comment about only having time to call people while on the go is shared by many! I just find it funny when I receive calls from certain friends. I am glad to hear from them but even if I don’t hear anything in the background, I’ll get a “Yes.” to my question, “Are you driving/waiting at the airport?”
I do the same thing – I generally pull out a book but sometimes I think of people to call if I’m waiting somewhere with nothing to do.
Scary thought about losing the ability to speak to people in person! We even refer to getting together as having “face time” instead of “seeing someone” – “We’re gonna have some face time.”
Ah, so we’re just a face. Not an entire person. Hmm, maybe I can squeeze a post outta this!
I agree! I must say I am guilty of getting bored easily. At least I have my T-mobile MDA
I think my mind wanders too much as it is! I never get any work done…
Ed: When your mind is off wandering, where does it go?
discover self?
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
too many of us aren’t interested in that. look at the folks that drive around in the cars with the sound cranked up so the folks in the next county can hear what they’re listenning to. you think they can talk to each other? no way. and that’s the way they want it!
I like to people watch sometimes, but most of the time, i crank out a book. otherwise, i’ll stare at a TV sometimes if i don’t have something to read with me.
sometimes after a day of work, when eating dinner out, i just want to be “comfortably numb”.
ack: unfortunately, you’re right! Many people don’t want to become “self aware” – it’s much easier to be selfish!