It is the malady of modernity. We have gone from the Iron Age to the Industrial Age to the Information Age to the Age of Interruption. All we do now is interrupt each other or ourselves with instant messages, e-mail, spam or cellphone rings. Who can think or write or innovate under such conditions? One wonders whether the Age of Interruption will lead to a decline in civilization — as ideas and attention spans shrink and we all get diagnosed with some version of Attention Deficit Disorder.
NYT columnist Thomas Friedman goes on to talk about his Amazon tour guide's (who carried no mobile phone) ability to be completely mindful and heard every chirp, whistle, howl or crackle in the rain forest. In short, he was totally disconnected from the Web, but totally in touch with the incredible web of life around him.So, how long has it been since you just laid around, staring into the stars, doing nothing? or sat by the window, listening to the raindrops? Think about it.
Time to disconnect maybe? ;)
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