Over the years, I have started and stopped various blogs on a myriad of subjects that I fancied at different phases in my life. For me, the act of writing has always been a form of self-expression which has enabled me to try to make sense of what is going on in my mind and the greater world around me. There is something therapeutic I find about the process of creating that I enjoy, whether it is the act of putting words down on paper (or a screen) or speaking into a microphone. Similar to an elite athlete hitting the ever-elusive state of flow during an exceptionally strong performance, thinking of the correct words to use and then whipping sentences into paragraphs to shape an idea or concept into life gives me this same kind of exalted feeling every blue moon.
Like most people these days, I spend too much time on the internet, social media in particular. That feeling derived from an all powerful hit of dopamine when I am mindlessly scrolling is inescapable. I shudder to think how many of my clicks and scrolls have not only become massive time sucks where I could have been doing something more productive, but it sickens me that I have fallen for the trap of letting the likes of Musk and Zuckerberg profit off of my engagement on their divisive platforms. I am hoping that spending more time creating this blog will mean I will be spending less time haplessly scrolling and clicking. I would rather be creating thought-provoking content here than arguing with strangers about inane topics on social media.
It would be an understatement to say that our collective attention economy is bankrupt, as it is widely estimated that the average human attention span is 8.25 seconds. I doubt it is this long. (I say this as I pull out my smartphone for the umpteenth time as I write this article). As a society, we have shifted from reading for depth and breadth to skimming on the surface as we scroll. In doing so, we have fragmented our attention spans. If we don't take the time to digest what we are reading, IE, reflection and contemplation, is it any wonder that critical thinking skills are becoming more extinct than the blue-footed booby?
In a world where conformation bias and anti-intellectualism are the name of the game on cable new networks and social media, it is my desire that the long-form platform of this blog will spark meaningful dialogue that will give our attention spans a workout without compromising our civility towards one another. While I hope the interaction here will be both enriching and enjoyable for you, at the end of the day, I am doing this for myself. We are living in mad times, and anything we can do to create meaning and connection with ourselves and others is a positive step in the right direction.
We embody a real paradox being hardwired for nuanced interactions but constantly striving for instant gratification. Case in point, how much depth can you add to a conversation that is peppered with emoticons? Despite the fact that most people these days are getting their news, information, and inspiration from Tik Tok and one minute video reels, I still believe there is still room for the written word. (And when I say "written word," I am not taking about AI generated works.) As the 80's new wave group, Missing Persons, asked, "What are words for when no one listens anymore?" Prove me wrong.
Greg Graber, the author of Slow Your Roll- Mindfulness for Fast Times and podcast cohost of Live A Little with Pete Pranica, teaches mindfulness and Social & Emotional (SEL) skills to top sports teams, various organizations, and schools around the world. Graber, a frequent keynote speaker, currently serves as the Director of SEL at Lausanne Collegiate School. He may be contacted through his website: www.greggraber.com
Greg's podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-livealittle-podcast-with-pete-pranica-greg-graber/id1699410606
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