We are living in an age of distraction — some of it forced upon us and some of it we willingly move toward. We don’t realize either is happening to the degree that it is.
The state of distraction is that of a fractured attention. And a fractured attention doesn’t allow for us to see or work with the the truth of our lives — in the broader external world, in our immediate circles, and in our inner states.
We often think we want to know the truth. But, more often than not, we don’t because the truth is not always (or often) easy, neat, or comfortable. It seems to feel better to stay above the hard truths of life. We’d rather sit in the flurry of our fractured attention; wishing to feel empowered while simultaneously surrendering to the force of distraction.
But sitting there, in the thick of distraction, only increases our dissatisfaction, our pain, and our suffering. And it doesn’t actually keep us from the truth. Something will always draw us back down, right into the center of it all, where the landing can be hard and startling.
Though the truth can be deeply ungrounding and difficult, it is the only place where there is actual choice and possibility.
Whether we’ve chosen the distraction or not, it’s ultimately our choice whether or not to stay distracted. This isn’t a looking away from that which distracts, necessarily. Rather, it’s a conscious choosing to look directly toward what isn’t being seeing. It’s an attempting to see clearly in the thick of the rest of it.
So how do we do that?
We must know that we have agency of our attention.
How do we know that?
By engaging in the ongoing practice of bringing awareness to where our attention is (or isn’t) and why. And the active choosing to bring our attention back to what is true in this moment, now.
As we grow the strength of our attention and increase its staying power, we begin to discover that what’s needed next can only be known now. It is only from here and now that we find the next right action.
I know it seems impossible that the power of our attention can withstand the force of distraction. But it can, if we choose it. Our attention is our greatest asset. It’s our most valuable and our most powerful possession. We must make the choice to use it.
With continued Love,
