Distraction is an official lifestyle. I haven’t heard anyone declare it’s their way of life, though. Why?
We don’t hesitate to say we live green, military, vegan, alternative or a musician’s lifestyle.
Heck, I’ll go first:
No, I’m not vegan or green … I am into distraction, which, by the way, is a culturally acceptable lifestyle so why are you looking at me that way? Whew, that felt good. Well, no, it didn’t.
Sad Limited Engagement
Here’s what got me going about this: A couple nights ago I was out at dinner with my family. Two of my grandchildren (5 and 9) were present. When we’re all together we focus on one another.
Cell phones stay in purses and pockets. We were having a great time laughing and catching up.
Seated at a table within my direct view were a woman and young boy. She was eating her dinner while talking on her cell phone.
The boy was eating his meal while watching her talk on the phone. The restaurant filled up and the woman and boy were now out of eye shot.
It Gets Worse
When we ordered dessert, there were a few empty tables and again, I could see the child and the woman. He was coloring. She’s on the phone.
Now, though, her back was against the wall and she had both legs laying across the empty chair next to her like she was in her living room.
It took about 15 minutes for our dessert to arrive. Another 20 minutes passed while we leisurely enjoyed chocolate lava cake and hot fudge sundaes.
Unbelievably, the lady had now been on the phone roughly 55 minutes. What?
Focus Problem
That night on the local news there’s a story that fit this same scenario of lack of focus. A small boy is walking on a sidewalk playing with his iPad.
Here comes a man who snatches the iPad right out of the boy’s hands.
The mom or whoever he’s with is walking a fair distance ahead of him paying him no mind. Video cameras at one of the businesses caught it on tape.
The man could have grabbed the boy instead of the iPad. Where is our attention these days?
I’m Guilty, Too
I’m a fool for distraction. I’ve been in that tangled web for years. I multitask (my padded word for distraction) and not in a good way, either.
I made a $3,000 error in me and my husband’s small business because my focus was everywhere but where it should have been.
I was too busy reading and writing emails, scouring the web, submitting content to three or four websites, and texting.
I was like the woman in the photo that accompanies this post. She’s marching in a parade in this magnificent, flamboyant costume … and she’s on her cell.
If the Internet and iPhones were around when my children were young, well, I don’t even want to think about that!
Are you distracted? Is it a problem in your life? Share your thoughts.
Source:
PsychCentral – Distraction: A Serious Problem of Modern Life, by Therese J. Bouchard Associate Editor
Image Credit: -west_indian_day_parade_2008-09-01_woman_in_purple_costume-wikimedia-commons-creative-commons-attribution-share-alike-3-0-unported-license by Fordmadoxfraud
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