Mind-numbing Distraction

Modern America, with all of its innovations and technological advancements, is becoming a waste land of mind-numbing distractions.  We are more in tune with our social media accounts than we are with our children and television (tablets, computers….pick your poison) has replaced family conversation.  Tools that were designed to serve mankind, to increase our productiveness and give us more hours in our day, have instead become mind-numbing Masters, distractions that require our constant attention, stealing our lives while whispering “you can’t live without me”.

Distractions come in many forms.  And we have so many of them now.  The news, the latest diet craze, sports teams, impending societal doom, video games, Facebook, shopping.  We have exchanged an engaged, thoughtful life for an existence marked by always-striving, never-achieving, stress-filled imperfection.   We are losing our families, our country, even our souls, to mind-numbing distractions.

It is time for us to wake up.  We have to look past the pretty, shiny things in front of our face and strive for things of eternal value and consequence.  We have to reclaim dominion over our lives and relegate our gadgets to a position of servant-hood rather than our serving them as masters.  We have to discern between what is “good” and what is “best”. 

I’m not much of a believer in conspiracy theories.  Most of the atrocities in our world are happening right under our noses, we are just too distracted to see them.  We pay more attention to keeping up with the Jones’ and checking our twitter accounts than we do to electing leaders that will lead with conviction and truth.  We are more concerned with “our” sports team winning the big game than we are balancing our checkbook – or making sure our government balances theirs.  We are distracted by minutia while history records the fall of a civilization.

Unplug.  Disengage.  Untangle yourself from the distractions that have numbed you to the realities of your life, your family, your nation.  Set the table - connect with your spouse and children.  Turn off the television – seek for the truth yourself, don’t buy what someone else tries to sell to you as truth.  Turn your gadgets into tools rather than distractions.  Read a book, knead some bread, engage your mind as you walk through your day – don’t let the constant drone of distractions rob you from thinking deep thoughts and experiencing raw and real emotion.

You were born for such a time as this.  Don’t let distractions steal your days – they are too few already.  Wake up – and live.