Canoe in the Mist

I've been taking a part of Mr. Berry's advice these last few days and largely (if not entirely) "staying away from screens." In fact, a slightly larger snippet of Mr. Berry than just that seems appropriate...why not....

Breath with unconditional breath
the unconditioned air.
Shun electric wire.
Communicate slowly. Live
a three-dimensioned life;
stay away from screens.
Stay away from anything
that obscures the place it is in.

I have really been making a conscious effort to do all of those things of late....

I've still been thinking about the end of solitude....

And I've been reading this:

Paying attention isn’t a simple act of self-discipline, but a cognitive ability with deep neurobiological roots — and this complex faculty, says Maggie Jackson, is being woefully undermined by how we’re living.

In Distracted: The Erosion of Attention and the Coming Dark Age, Jackson explores the effects of “our high-speed, overloaded, split-focus and even cybercentric society” on attention. It’s not a pretty picture: a never-ending stream of phone calls, e-mails, instant messages, text messages and tweets is part of an institutionalized culture of interruption, and makes it hard to concentrate and think creatively.

From an interview of Maggie Jackson at Wired Magazine. Via Bodhi Tree Swaying.

(Source)